In his visit to China, the French president Emmanuel Macron presented views at odds with some others in Europe. America’s European allies appear to lack the mutual trust needed to reach key compromises. With Macron’s advocacy in play, unity may be difficult to achieve.

The world's transition to renewable energy brings geopolitical risks as countries compete for control over critical minerals like cobalt. With 70% of the world's cobalt output produced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and expected growth in demand from battery technology proliferation, China has consolidated its market position in mining and refining, leading U.S. policymakers to view cobalt as a potential supply chain vulnerability.

The Indian Ocean, as a maritime crossroads of international trade, is a key area of competition between China and the United States.

The friendship between Russia and China may seem ideological on the surface, but it could significantly benefit the PRC in the event of more supply chain difficulties, or a military conflict with the United States. And though Xi Jinping is focused on self-sufficiency and dual circulation plans domestically, he still knows that China will always need to import certain goods and materials to operate its economy - and Russia and its controlled territories could supply those essential resources.

The deepened military relations between China and Russia was inevitable in response to challenges from the West. Conflict does not arise simply over current security considerations. It may be triggered by concerns over the changing international balance of power.

Born in the 1970s, the G7 is the primary mechanism for developed Western countries to meet and discuss policy. But it stubbornly adheres to ideological prejudice, which is why the organization is losing its appeal in the international community.

China has upped its international statesmanship, making waves by playing the middleman to a historic Iran-Saudi Arabia agreement. Working with other countries like India and Turkey, Beijing’s economic and diplomatic leverage can be a factor in bringing Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table.

Brazil, South America’s leader in GDP, has made several moves indicating a willingness to work with China in the near future. The establishment of the BRICS, as well as President Lula’s recent visit to China, should alert the West as to how Brazil has been swayed by China and its offerings.

European interests, in France’s view, will be ignored under the U.S. grand strategy to preserve its hegemony, and so Europe should avoid becoming a U.S. pawn. But this idea has yet to find wide sympathy in Europe, which looks to the United States for its security.

China’s latest diplomatic win, an expansive agreement with France, goes a long way in confirming China’s dream of becoming a global hegemon. Yet with conflict raging in Europe to this day, the end of the road is nowhere near.