The British Empire was built on its control of the seas and oceans through the major ports around the world. When the British lost control of the maritime choke points, they lost their Empire.
The Americans continued with the control of the oceans with their armada of aircraft carriers, warships and submarines to sustain the American Empire and hegemony. It was all about military power and might, about wars and war machine.
In the 21st Century, other than the countries that were duped or instigated to go to wars by the Americans, the rest of the world is more or less at peace with each other. Countries have wisen up not to get involved in destructive wars of the American Empire that only benefited the Americans but very costly for those combatants with lost of lives and resources. Wars are very expensive, destructive and wasteful. No country wants to go to war. They are tired of wars. Why fight a war when they could spend all their time and resources building their country and economy for the betterment of their people?
When war is irrelevant, economics become more important than war machine and weapons. Successful, rich and powerful countries would be measured in the strength of their economies, not warships or weapons of mass destruction, albeit these are necessary to protect their own wealth and freedom from being attacked and wars.
The next super power to dominate the world would depend on its industrial power, its economy and wealth. Control of the seas and oceans, maritime choke points are still important, but need much more than these. Industrial power, scientific and technical power and control of natural resources especially energy and raw material.
China's BRI is a way of controlling the land and sea routes around the world. But this is done peacefully through cooperation with willing countries and partners. When the BRI is fully developed, the world would be efficiently interconnected by sea and land routes, and roads and rails are equally important to faciliate international trade and commerce. In this area China is ahead of the Americans and one up in the game of world influence.
Energy and raw material are vital to economic success. China is signing up agreements with many countries in Africa and other parts of the world for rights to the mine minerals needed for industrial development. This is strategic thinking and planning on the part of China, to corner the supply of mineral resources and also energy.
While the Americans are still playing their wargames, selling and trading weapons, China is very busy signing up oil and gas supplies from major producers. Iran signed a 25 year agreement to supply oil to China, Qatar signed to supply oil for 27 years, Sudan also signed a similar agreement with Saudi Arabia next. On top of these, many to come, China also have long term agreement of oil supply with Russia, all major oil producers. Oh, the US also has a 20 year agreement to supply oil and gas to China at relatively cheap price. And with the recent discovery of its massive oil fields in China, China is guaranteed of continuous supply of oil for the next 30 years at least. America may have sufficient oil for itself, but Europe is going to face the big squeeze when most of the oil are going to China, contractually.
The other big factor in world domination is of course chips. Chips is the new oil of the 21st Century. The Americans knew and try to cut China off the supply chain. The initial exuberance that China would be killed in this chip war is starting to evaporate. China is furiously catching up with the Americans and the West by developing its own chips and closing in rapidly. 7nm chips is now ready for full production. China also invented the first 5nm chips solely on its own. 3nm and 2nm are on the way. When China is self sufficient in its chips supply chain, development and production, no longer dependent on the West, it would be the end of the American and western chip industry.
Sea ports, China bought quite a few and developing many around the world, maritime and land routes, high speed trains, control mining rights of oil and gas and minerals, and self sufficiency in chips production and designed, China would be in a league of its own as the number one world economy. The Americans and the West would be chasing and falling further and further behind China.
The Americans and the West can keep on beating their war drums and deluding themselves that they are winning this war for supremacy and world dominance. China on the other hand is strategically planning a bigger war across all fronts, including strengthening its own military power to level up with any military foes. The war that China is fighting is a war without bullets, without bloodshed, a peaceful pursuit of industrial might, technological advancement and a strong economy intertwined with the rest of the world, bringing prosperity to all its trading partners in a win win formula for all.
The American and western formula of military dominance and one winner takes all, hegemony, is passe, is history, no longer relevant in the 21st Centrury.
PS. China and the BRICS countries are planning to replace the greenback as the main world reserve currency. This would be the final straw that would bring the American Empire to its knee.
