THIS is with reference to the report “Xi offers ‘war or peace’ as China flexes military might” (Sept 4). Beijing staged a stunning display of military power, technological mastery and economic confidence. While commemorating the end of World War II, the underlying message was unmistakable: China, backed by its allies, is reshaping the global order, and the United States is no longer the lone superpower.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which was once an informal alliance, has now been transformed into a strategic, political and economic bloc.

For decades, the Pentagon believed that American technological superiority was untouchable. Beijing’s show of force has shattered that illusion. Analysts in the Western world have been forced to confront the undeniable reality: China can now match or exceed US capabilities in precision strike, strategic range, and integrated defence.

Having said that, China’s dominance is not based on weapons alone; it rests on a deeper foundation of economic strength. Donald Trump’s tariffs, designed to cripple Beijing’s industrial power, instead exposed America’s own vulnerabilities. China today controls over 90 per cent of global rare earth magnet production, and nearly 85pc of semiconductor-grade mineral processing.

When Beijing announced export res-trictions on seven critical rare earth elements early this year, requiring special licences for buyers, the shockwaves reverberated across the US. For the first time, the US found itself dependent on Beijing’s will to maintain the heartbeat of its technological infrastructure.

While Washington reacted defensively, Beijing quietly built an entirely new architecture of global trade and influence. Through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has connected more than 150 countries via roads, railways, ports, energy pipelines, industrial zones and digital corridors.

Unlike the West’s traditional depen-dency model, Beijing offered investment, infrastructure and market access on terms many developing nations found massively equitable. By empowering local economies through financing and infrastructure, China has created an alternative model of prosperity — one based on cooperation rather than coercion.

As for the SCO, the bloc now represents nearly half the world’s population, accounts for 30pc of global gross domestic product (GDP), and controls over 40pc of global oil and gas reserves. By aligning supply chains, financial systems and technological ecosystems, member states have built collective resilience capable of resisting US pressure. Trump’s tariffs war has actually paved the way for an alternative global leadership.

In contrast, the Western bloc, which was once a cohesive alliance of North America and Europe, is showing cracks under the weight of Trump’s unilateral policies. The differences over Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza have eaten away Washington’s influence over its closest allies.

With its military might on show, Beijing has delivered a message that has been heard loud and clear across continents. China is no longer rising — it is leading. And it leads not through conquest, but through trade, technology, investment and inclusion.

The world is reorganising around this reality, and, for the first time in a century, Washington is no longer writing the script.

Qamar Bashir
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2025