World
Ratner: The Time Is Right for Joint Action Against China
Ely Ratner, former Indo-Pacific defense strategy chief at the U.S. Department of Defense under Biden, declared in an interview published July 31, 2026 in Neue Zürcher Zeitung that coordinated action against China is now opportune. Ratner argues that Beijing's vulnerabilities are underexploited and that Washington should work closely with allies—a realistic prospect in a post-Trump era. Growing numbers of countries are suffering from China's economic model, he states. However, Asian allies report feeling abandoned by Washington despite repeated commitments to pivot toward the region, with the ongoing Iran conflict illustrating this strategic gap.