China, the world's leading power

Over the past decade, China's uninterrupted growth has brought the country to the forefront of the international stage. So much so, in fact, that China has partially overtaken the United States. Will this shift in power have consequences for the West?

The transition of power describes a recurring phenomenon in history: a country’s power grows, leading to an expansion of its territorial, military, and economic ambitions. Faced with this rising threat, the most powerful country will feel threatened and enter into conflict with its rival. This mechanism has been described since ancient times, notably by Thucydides in *The Peloponnesian War*, who argued that the rising power of Athens was bound to clash with the well-established power of Sparta in a war. Thus, at the end of the war, either the rising power is relegated to its role as the second-ranked power, or it assumes the role of