ABSTRACT. Is China currently acting as a de facto fundraiser for the US? A real challenge is always to optimize the (moral, political and financial) costs in meeting the national strategic objectives. In this case, it would be a resolute Beijing’s turn towards green technology, coupled with the firm buildup of the Asian multilateralism. Without a grand rapprochement to the champions of multilateralism in Asia, which are Indonesia, India and Japan, there is no environment for China to seriously evolve and emerge as a formidable, lasting and trusted global leader. Consequently, what China needs in Asia is not a naval race of 1908, but the Helsinki process of 1975. pp. 46–51

Keywords: geopolitical imperatives, Asia-Pacific, armament, gunboat diplomacy, South China Sea, East China Sea, the US strategic objectives, G-2, China, Japan, India, Indonesia, ASEAN, multilateralism, technology, energy security