When one reviews the balance of global powers today, the rivalry between the U.S. and China comes to the fore. Today's world seems to turn around these two poles. Smaller nations and vulnerable communities, when faced with a crisis, instinctively look to one of the two giants for leadership or protection.

During the Cold War, international institutions such as the U.N. and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) played genuine roles in restraining violence and preserving order. After the Cold War, however, these supranational bodies lost much of their influence. Their power effectively passed into the hands of the U.S., which began to operate as the sole arbitrator of global justice with absolute immunity.

Since the beginning of the massacres in Gaza, the people of the world have turned their eyes to the U.S. Under both the Joe Biden and Donald Trump administrations in Washington, global audiences have asked themselves whether the U.S., with all its might, could bring an end to this war.

What became clear, however, was that neither Republicans nor Democrats sought peace. Instead of stopping the war – or the genocide – in Gaza, they poured fuel on it: supplying Israel with high-tonnage bombs, military equipment and munitions. In doing so, they ensured Israel’s genocide became even more destructive and dehumanizing than Hitler’s.

Stance of Russia, China

The fragilities revealed by the Russia-Ukraine war, and the heavy criticism directed at Russia by the West, recall the ideological divisions of the 1970s, when left-wing movements – within the framework of East-West and NATO-Warsaw tensions – stood firmly with Palestine.

However, when it comes to Gaza, Russia has largely remained silent, avoiding a strong response or open condemnation of the massacres.

And then there is China. It is the world’s second-largest economy after the U.S. By current projections, China is expected to surpass the U.S. economy by 2030. There is often talk of a coming U.S.-China clash in the Far East, and some believe that the ongoing economic rivalry could one day turn into open war.

World streets vs. China

Naturally, an aspiring empire engages in economic competition, fighting its rivals through trade and industry. But humanity expected something more from China. In the U.S., intellectuals, university students, demonstrators and Muslim communities took to the streets to protest against Israel. In South America, many presidents and citizens also condemned Israel and took a firm stand against genocide.

In Italy, France, the U.K. and Germany, massive protests erupted, with people filling the streets to oppose Israel and Zionism.

Spain and Türkiye distinguished themselves from the rest of the world by standing firmly with Palestine – not only at the public level but also through official state policy – imposing embargoes, voicing clear opposition to Israel, and taking decisive stances both diplomatically and domestically.

In contrast, China – the second largest economy in the world – remained utterly silent. It made a few polite remarks during Trump’s so-called "peace summits,” but otherwise, its position on the Gaza genocide was no different from that of Switzerland.

Can China become empire?

If China truly aspires to be a great power that collaborates with nations across the globe – from Africa to Asia, from Asia to America – and if it has built close relations with countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, then it should have acted differently. A nation claiming to be a future superpower should not behave like neutral Switzerland; it should have taken a moral stance against the Gaza war.

It has now become clear that China lacks any instinct for justice, human rights or compassion when humanity faces suffering and evidently will not lead a moral, just or egalitarian struggle against the imperialist West. Instead, it will merely become a poor imitation of American imperialism – another power that exploits the rest of the world for its own gain.

The Gaza war has torn away the mask of Zionism and exposed the imperial ambitions of the West, awakening Western citizens to the exploitative mindset that governs them; however, it failed to awaken even a single voice from the Chinese streets.