Introduction

The last two chapters reflected on the complexity of US– China relations, zooming in on their economic and geopolitical dimensions. It emerged from the analysis that in both dimensions there are multiple factors of competition and restraint together with areas of stability and potential instability.

This chapter provides a macro- level view of the structural diplomatic implications of tensions described in Chapters 4 and 5. It also seeks to draw the book to a close by providing an empirical representation of what geopolitical blocs may look like at a time when both the US and China have grown dissatisfied with the liberal international order (LIO) and seek to change it as we approach the middle of the decade. In addition to this, the chapter seeks to make sense of whether there is a relationship between the Cold War and the new type of cold war.

Overall, the argument of this chapter is that the international order shows tangible signs that it is moving towards the return to bloc politics, with the strengthening of a Western bloc and the potential rise of an Eastern bloc. While the Western bloc is a cohesive yet small entity, which has realized since the war in Ukraine that much of the world is unpersuaded by its narrative, the Eastern bloc could potentially represent a greater number of people, but it is unlikely to achieve a level of political cohesion similar to the one seen in the transatlantic region in the post- Second World War era. Part of the issue, it is argued, is the lack of a recognized leader in Asia and the fact that China is not keen to make formal alliances. Such a scenario dangerously reinforces a security dilemma at a time when the US and China appear to be developing irreconcilable narratives about world politics. However, two caveats need to be taken into consideration. Firstly, it cannot be predicted to what extent blocs will deepen their political and military cohesion; secondly, these blocs will not be the same as those that characterized the Cold War, not only because China is the most powerful country in the eventual Eastern bloc, but also because at a time of globalization, political integration manifests in different ways.