Nournews: Amid Washington’s efforts to reshape global security equations, and as public attention remains focused on the consequences of Western-led wars, from Ukraine to the Persian Gulf, as well as the ongoing occupation and crimes of the Israeli regime, China is gradually redefining its security role alongside its economic influence in the international system. Signs of this shift can be seen in Beijing’s expanding military ties with countries that have traditionally been considered part of the US camp.
US Partners Step Out of Washington’s Security Shadow
China and Egypt began the joint air exercise “Civilization Eagles 2026” on Saturday at several Egyptian air bases. At the same time, China’s Defense Ministry announced a joint air force exercise with the UAE, dubbed “Falcon Shield 2026,” in the city of Hotan. The exercise will run from late August to mid-September and include command simulations, flight training and joint operational drills.
Given Egypt and the UAE’s strategic ties with the United States, these developments are more than routine military events. They could signal growing doubts among Washington’s allies about the effectiveness of the US-led security model. Europe’s emphasis on strengthening its own security capabilities, regional efforts to build independent alliances, and the expansion of military ties with Eastern powers all point to the same gradual shift.
The War That Weakened the Dream of American Security
Washington sought, through its war against Iran, to once again demonstrate its role as the region’s undisputed security guarantor—from military security to energy and maritime trade. But Iran’s resistance and its indigenous capabilities to manage the Strait of Hormuz and strike US bases, interests and targets with domestically produced missiles and drones have seriously challenged that perception.
At the same time, Trump’s acknowledgment that the interests of other regional countries do not take priority for the United States over the principle of “Israel First,” together with the exposure of Washington’s security vulnerabilities, has weakened confidence among some of its allies. Arab countries that have moved closer to China and Russia politically and economically in recent years are now showing signs that this shift is extending into the military sphere.
China’s military exercises with Egypt and the UAE can therefore be viewed as part of a broader trend in which regional countries are seeking to diversify their strategic partners rather than relying entirely on the US security umbrella.
Beijing: From Regional Security to Global Power
For years, China has largely placed economics at the center of its foreign policy and avoided direct involvement in costly political and military conflicts. But growing Western pressure around China—from Taiwan and disputes in the South China Sea to Japan’s expanding military role, US security cooperation with South Korea and Australia, and efforts to expand Western structures in East Asia—has changed Beijing’s calculations.
Alongside strengthening mechanisms such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, China has also expanded its political role, from mediating between Iran and Saudi Arabia to developing ties with Arab countries, supporting multilateralism at the UN Security Council, and adopting increasingly critical positions toward the Israeli regime’s occupation.
Joint military exercises with Iran, Pakistan and Russia, and now Egypt and the UAE, together with Beijing’s stated readiness to help ease tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, indicate that security is no longer merely a regional concern for China. It is gradually becoming an integral part of the country’s global role.
The New Order: From Unilateralism to Multilateralism
These developments should be viewed within the broader context of changes in the international system. The prolonged wars led by the United States, its insistence on unilateralism, and the high costs of dependence on a single security provider have prompted many countries to reconsider their strategic calculations.
In this context, Iran’s resistance and its ability to preserve strategic independence while confronting pressure from major powers may help explain part of this broader global redefinition. The emerging model is based on greater reliance on domestic capabilities, diversification of security partners, and a move away from absolute dependence on a single power.
China’s exercises with Egypt and the UAE, in this context, are not merely military drills. They could be signs of a gradual shift in the balance of power—a shift that begins with declining confidence in the US security model and moves toward a more multilateral, independent order shaped by the new realities of global power.
NOURNEWS