Geo-Strategic Trend

French international trade expert and president of export promotion think tank Alain Bentéjac published a signed column in Le Monde on Friday, calling for a “coalition of the willing” to defend the international trading system against the twin pressures of American unilateralism and Chinese dominance.

Bentéjac draws on Canadian Prime Minister Carney’s speech at Davos this year, where Carney proposed a coalition of middle powers as the only viable counterweight to great-power hegemony — an idea modeled on the coalition supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression. Bentéjac argues that international trade urgently needs the same approach.

In his view, the current trade crisis stems from the fact that the two dominant players in the global system — the United States and China — have each, in their own way, stepped outside the multilateral framework. The U.S. has long undermined the WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism, and under President Trump, tariffs have become a pure instrument of coercion, used to threaten allies who oppose his positions on Greenland or peace initiatives, and even Canada if it reaches any agreement with China. Bentéjac finds this strategically contradictory: if China is America’s chief systemic rival, why alienate potential allies like the EU rather than building a united front?

China, meanwhile, benefits from Western divisions. While publicly professing respect for WTO rules, Chinese exports continue to flood global markets. In 2025, China’s trade surplus hit a record $1.2 trillion. Its share of global exports has grown from 4 percent when it joined the WTO in 2001 to roughly 20 percent today. In 2024, China filed 1.8 million patent applications, compared to 501,000 for the United States and just 135,000 for Germany — a sign that China’s industrial rise now reflects genuine innovation, not merely subsidies and dumping.

Bentéjac concludes that conventional trade defense tools are no longer sufficient. The EU, as the world’s largest trading power, must take the lead in forming a coalition of countries still committed to shared rules, and work to rewrite the framework for a new era of globalization.

Source: Radio France International, February 21, 2026
https://rfi.my/CSkg

South Korea’s technological gap with China has widened across key strategic sectors, according to a new government assessment, with Beijing now surpassing Seoul even in the one field where South Korea had previously held a clear advantage.

The findings come from a 2024 Technology Level Assessment report submitted by South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT to the National Science and Technology Advisory Council. The evaluation covered 136 core technologies across 11 fields, drawing on quantitative analysis of papers and patents from the U.S., EU, China, Japan, and South Korea, as well as qualitative surveys from 1,180 experts.

Using the United States as the global benchmark at 100 percent, the overall technology levels were ranked as follows: the EU at 93.8 percent, China at 86.8 percent, Japan at 86.2 percent, and South Korea at 82.8 percent. In terms of the time gap with the U.S., South Korea trails by 2.8 years and China by 2.1 years — meaning China now leads South Korea by 0.7 years, up from a 0.2-year gap when China first overtook South Korea in 2022.

The divergence is even sharper in the 50 national strategic technologies. South Korea’s gap with the U.S. narrowed by 0.4 years since 2022 to 2.6 years, but China closed its gap by a faster 0.8 years, now trailing the U.S. by just 1.4 years.

Perhaps most striking is the reversal in secondary batteries — rechargeable cells used in electric vehicles and electronics. South Korea had led China by 0.9 years in 2022, but by 2024, China has taken first place, with South Korea now falling 0.2 years behind. In semiconductors and displays, another South Korean stronghold, China has also edged ahead, with a technology level of 91.5 percent versus South Korea’s 91.2 percent.

Source: Yonhap News Agency, February 22, 2026
https://cn.yna.co.kr/view/ACK20260222000300881

China has been steadily expanding its Arctic presence over the past three decades. The country acquired its first icebreaker, the Xuelong, in the early 1990s, established a research station in the Svalbard archipelago in 2004, and recently showcased a concept design for a nuclear-powered cargo-passenger icebreaker capable of breaking through 2.5 meters of ice at two knots.

In 2018, China released its Arctic Policy white paper, describing itself as a “near-Arctic state” and proposing a “Polar Silk Road.” The move drew sharp criticism from some Western nations, most notably then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who flatly stated that only Arctic and non-Arctic states exist, with no third category.

The Arctic’s significance is hard to overstate. The region holds vast natural resources, strategically important shipping routes, and dual-use military and civilian infrastructure. Only eight countries hold Arctic status by virtue of their geography, cooperating through the Arctic Council framework, though non-Arctic nations may still access Arctic resources.

Washington’s unease is, in part, by design. The Trump administration has leveraged the narrative of a Chinese Arctic threat to justify ambitions over Greenland, folding it into a broader strategy of pressuring Beijing by framing China’s presence in key regions as a danger. Experts suggest this so-called Arctic “China threat” serves as both a specific justification for the Greenland issue and a long-term element of U.S.-China strategic competition.

Meanwhile, Russia and China are actively cooperating to develop the Northern Sea Route, which cuts travel distances by 30–40% compared to the Suez Canal. Last year, the container ship Istanbul Bridge sailed from Ningbo to Felixstowe, England in just 20 days via the Arctic — a journey that would take 40–50 days through Suez.

China maintains its Arctic expansion is purely commercial. No Chinese warships have been observed in the region, and experts note that narrow passages and short sailing seasons make the Arctic ill-suited for military use. For China, the route’s greater promise lies in trade and tourism.

Source: Sputnik News, February 17, 2026
https://sputniknews.cn/20260217/1069814875.html

Chinese officials on Thursday handed over a satellite ground station to the Namibian government in the outskirts of the capital Windhoek, marking another advance in China’s expanding overseas space program, according to Chinese state media reports cited by Reuters.

The facility, constructed with Chinese aid and located in the southern suburbs of Namibia’s capital, will significantly enhance the country’s capacity to receive and process satellite remote sensing data, according to state news agency Xinhua’s Friday report. The handover ceremony was attended by Namibia’s prime minister, who delivered remarks on behalf of the president expressing gratitude for China’s support.

As the United States reduces aid to African nations, China has been building alliances and expanding its space influence across the continent by providing satellites, laboratories, and monitoring stations. Beijing maintains it is helping Africa develop space programs to ensure no country is left behind. However, Reuters previously reported that China’s aid projects enable it to access a broader surveillance network in its quest for space dominance, allowing Beijing to utilize data and images collected from satellites, telescopes, and ground stations provided to African countries. Chinese personnel are also stationed long-term at facilities constructed in Africa.

Chinese Ambassador to Namibia Zhao Weiping stated that Namibia will have complete ownership and independent operation of the satellite ground station. He added that Chinese experts will continue providing technical support to the fourteen local technicians they helped train, and that phase two construction of the facility is underway. Photographs released by Xinhua show the facility’s dome prominently painted with the slogan “China’s Aid, Creating a Beautiful Future Together.”

Source: Radio France International, February 14, 2026
https://rfi.my/CRXX

China announced today that it will implement comprehensive zero-tariff measures for 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations, effective May 1. The initiative will be accompanied by efforts to advance common development economic partnership agreements and expand market access for African products through upgraded “green channels.”

Of Africa’s 54 United Nations-recognized sovereign nations, only Eswatini, Taiwan’s diplomatic ally, is excluded from the preferential tariff treatment. This marks a significant expansion of China’s economic engagement with the African continent.

The announcement follows the June 11, 2025 ministerial meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Results Implementation Coordination held in Changsha, Hunan Province, which produced the “Changsha Declaration” on maintaining solidarity and cooperation among Global South nations. The declaration’s eighth point specifically outlined China’s commitment to achieving zero tariffs on 100 percent of product categories for the 53 African countries through economic partnership agreements, welcoming quality African goods into the Chinese market.

Building upon zero-tariff treatment for least-developed African countries announced at the 2024 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China pledged additional measures including deepened market access for goods trade, streamlined inspection and quarantine procedures, customs facilitation, enhanced technical capacity training, and promotion of quality products.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized that China and Africa, representing the world’s largest developing country and the continent with the highest concentration of developing nations, form the backbone of the Global South. He stressed the importance of China-Africa unity amid global uncertainties, calling for both sides to maintain mutual assistance, advocate for international free trade, pursue win-win cooperation, defend international justice, and promote cultural diversity.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), February 14, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202602140140.aspx

The United States is intensifying its competition with China over control of Africa’s critical mineral supplies, including copper, cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements, according to discussions at the 2026 African Mining Indaba currently taking place in Cape Town. Washington’s focus centers on the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, and Guinea, with the DRC supplying over 70 percent of the world’s cobalt and remaining one of the largest copper producers.

China currently dominates the extraction and processing of rare earth metals and other critical minerals like lithium and cobalt. Chinese companies control substantial mining operations across developing countries, including throughout Africa.

Against a backdrop of escalating trade and technology confrontation, both nations are attempting to achieve independence from each other in key industrial sectors. China is developing its semiconductor industry capabilities while the United States works to bypass China and diversify the global rare earth supply chain.

Africa has emerged as a crucial battleground in this great power competition, with the two nations employing different strategies. The American approach avoids directly managing mines in politically unstable regions, instead using a “money-for-shares” model that provides financing in exchange for portions of extracted minerals. China’s advantages include controlling the DRC’s largest mineral assets, faster project launches even in unstable regions, and aggressive infrastructure investment in mineral-producing countries. Chinese investment has built thousands of kilometers of roads and railways, dozens of port facilities, and major transportation arteries across Africa, improving market access for African mineral producers, reducing logistics costs, and promoting economic growth.

In essence, the United States attempts to secure portions of African-extracted raw materials through capital injection and transport them to U.S.-aligned regions for processing. However, China maintains its advantage in African extractive industries through economies of scale, infrastructure and production construction speed, and Chinese companies’ willingness to operate in high-risk environments.

Source: Sputnik News, February 10, 2026
https://sputniknews.cn/20260210/1069718226.html

Primary Taiwanese news agency Central News Agency (CNA) recently reported that, official Taiwanese government statistics show that Taiwan’s investment in China continues to shrink, with direct investment in China to decrease by 59 percent year-over-year by 2025. And approved investment from mainland China in Taiwan decreased by 65.4 percent year-over-year.

The official report points out that China’s economy grew by five percent last year, but the growth momentum was significantly divergent, with the housing market downturn worsening, foreign direct investment (FDI) continuing to slow, and the shadow of deflation lingering.

The report also indicated that the surge in social protests in mainland China in the second half of 2025 is attributed primarily to slowing economic growth, increasing youth unemployment, insufficient funds for maintaining stability due to local government financial difficulties, and the potential threat to grassroots governance stability from the return and stranding of large numbers of unemployed migrant workers to their hometowns.

Source: CNA, February 11, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202602110334.aspx