North America: New Geopolitics and Geoeconomics. The Chinese Equation

Abstract

China’s interaction with North America is characterized by both competition and conflict, albeit constrained by international commitments and agreements. This article seeks to examine China’s ascension and its evolving global role in reshaping power dynamics, particularly through its expanding economic, commercial, political, and geopolitical influence. In 1980, China contributed merely 3.4% to the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a figure that surged to 15% by 2005. By 2022, according to the International Monetary Fund’s calculations based on purchasing power parity (PPP), China’s economy constituted nearly 19% of the world’s GDP, securing its position as the second-largest economy worldwide, trailing only behind the United States. This burgeoning economic stature has forged an intricate interdependency between the United States and China, the unraveling of which would precipitate grave repercussions for global power equilibrium. Such dynamics inevitably reverberate throughout North America, impacting the United States’ relationships with Mexico and Canada. The renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) during 2017 and 2018, culminating in the signing of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) in November 2018, underscores this intricate web of interconnectedness. Throughout the initial decades of the 21st century, China’s economic expansion has exerted profound influence across all global economic and geopolitical spheres, with North America standing prominently affected. This reality has underscored the paradox of interdependence between geopolitical rivals whose economic, commercial, and investment ties continue to deepen. Consequently, nations find themselves increasingly susceptible to the caprices of the international market, eroding traditional power structures and transforming the dynamics of international relations.