The Great Abdication: How Beijing Is Winning by Standing Still
By Mohamad Hammoud
As Washington dismantles its own influence, China secures a pragmatic victory without firing a shot.
In the grand theater of global influence, the United States has historically cast itself as the protagonist—the indispensable nation broadcasting its values to a receptive world. Yet, as Maria Repnikova details in her recent Foreign Affairs analysis, “The New Soft-Power Imbalance,” the script has been dramatically rewritten by the second term of the Trump administration. Writing in November 2025, Repnikova documents a profound shift: while Washington actively dismantles the machinery of its own soft power, China is quietly and strategically filling the void. The result is a geopolitical landscape where Beijing appears not just as a rival, but increasingly as the adult in the room—a steady hand in an era of Western volatility.
The Architecture of Western Hypocrisy
The erosion of American influence is not the result of foreign pressure but a self-inflicted wound rooted in elite isolation. Repnikova, the William C. Pate Endowed Chair at Georgia State University, invokes former NATO official Jamie Shea's description of US policy as “soft power suicide.” The signs are unmistakable: USAID has shuttered operations, and the State Department has been hollowed out, stripping away the last veneer of American benevolence.
For years, Washington preached openness to the Global South, yet it is now the one closing its doors. Repnikova highlights how new visa and immigration restrictions have made the United States less welcoming and less desirable. The hypocrisy is stark. A nation that once celebrated its role as a melting pot now presents itself as a fortress, pushing away visitors and allies alike. Into this vacuum steps China—not through conquest, but through steady, calculated availability.
The Pragmatic Alternative
As the United States turns inward, China has cast itself as the open, accessible alternative. Repnikova notes that Beijing's soft power is built on “pragmatic benefits” rather than ideological export. This formula resonates across the Global South. While Washington closes its borders, China now offers 30-day visa-free entry to citizens of more than 70 countries, signaling openness just as the US signals withdrawal.
Furthermore, the economic narrative has shifted in Beijing's favor. Despite US tariffs, China is still the “more economically accessible” partner. With USAID gutted, the Lowy Institute data Repnikova cites shows China now providing the world's most significant bilateral development assistance by default. Even in Latin America—long seen as Washington's backyard—public opinion has flipped. Surveys across five major countries show more people now prefer China over the United States as an economic partner. This is the direct result of a diplomacy grounded in mutual economic gain rather than moralizing.
Stability Versus Impulse
Perhaps the most damaging blow to American prestige is the growing perception of volatility. In diplomacy, stability is currency, and Washington's is rapidly depreciating. Repnikova notes how Chinese officials contrast a “nonintrusive, benevolent China” with an “interventionist and impulsive United States.” By emphasizing noninterference, Beijing appeals to countries exhausted by Western moralizing and regime-change politics.
This narrative was on full display at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, where Chinese leaders called for a “fairer” world order. Through its Global Governance Initiative, Beijing projects responsibility and steadiness. Even the Belt and Road Initiative has been recalibrated toward “small and beautiful” projects to contain debt risks. Such adaptability builds trust—something Washington, with its erratic policy shifts, increasingly struggles to offer.
The Cool Factor: An Organic Shift
Beyond the corridors of power, China is achieving something the US has long monopolized: genuine cultural attraction. Repnikova observes that headlines now proclaim, “How China became cool,” driven by the global success of cultural exports such as the animated film Ne Zha 2 and “Labubu” dolls. Even more significant is the rise of Chinese technology, such as the artificial intelligence platform DeepSeek.
A July 2025 Pew survey indicates that while the US has suffered a precipitous drop in favorability—plummeting 20 percentage points in Canada alone—China is making gains. Repnikova suggests that China's gains result from a sophisticated, low-risk strategy. By refusing to overcommit, Beijing avoids the traps of imperial overreach. It is content to let the United States erode its own standing. At the same time, China passively harvests the goodwill of the Global South. In this new soft-power imbalance, China wins simply by staying the course—proving to be the reliable partner while the West loses its way.
