Key facts
- The 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 are seen as a pivotal event that altered the trajectory of international politics.
- China viewed the post-9/11 period as a "window of strategic opportunity" to develop its strength.
- The US focus on counterterrorism for nearly two decades diverted resources and attention from other strategic challenges.
- The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq cost the US trillions of dollars and thousands of casualties.
- China leveraged the War on Terror to shape international narratives regarding the Uyghur issue and terrorist threats.
- The US designated Uyghur organizations as terrorist entities, a designation it later dropped in November 2020.
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, significantly altered the global political landscape, accelerating China's rise as an economic and military power while contributing to a perceived decline in US hegemony. According to analysis from the Stimson Center and Lowy Institute, the attacks provided Beijing with a crucial "window of strategic opportunity" to focus on its development while the United States became deeply engaged in the War on Terror.
For nearly two decades, counterterrorism dominated US national security strategy, a focus that began to recalibrate in 2017 and by 2021 saw great power competition, particularly with China, re-emerge as the top priority. This shift in US focus, analysts suggest, was delayed by the events of 9/11. The prolonged and costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are seen as having bogged down US resources, potentially diminished its global standing, and allowed China to build its strength.
Furthermore, the global response to terrorism provided China with an avenue to shape international narratives concerning the Uyghur issue. Beijing was able to leverage its cooperation with the War on Terror to have Uyghur organizations, such as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), placed on the US terrorist exclusion list, a designation that was only removed in November 2020. While the fundamental trajectory of China's assertiveness and the shifting power balance between the US and China might have occurred regardless of 9/11, the attacks are widely seen as having expedited and strengthened these existing trends.