As China emerges as a global great power during the coming decade, it will be forced to take an increasing number of explicit policy positions on the binary political dilemmas that continue to divide the region. So far, China has generally managed to avoid such decisions, always preferring to be the friend of all and the enemy of none—a strategically adept, albeit ethically neutral, position. However, geopolitical reality will not allow such strategic ambiguity for much longer.
