China is largely being ignored in the press as a player in the struggle between extreme Islam and secularism. What has been the effect of the War on Terror on China, so far?

China has been playing a subtle and effective diplomatic game with the United States since the 1970s when Nixon tried to redraw the relationship between the two countries. Currently there is a tacit understanding that the United States will allow China to develop rapidly to first world status without any worries about diplomatic problems. China basically has carte blanche in economic as well as diplomatic areas so long as it stays out of overt mischief.

There is little doubt that China is on track to overtake the United States as the economic superpower (and thus the military superpower soon after) within a decade or two. This is happening with the cooperation of United States policymakers, so there must be a rationale behind it, even if the rationale is flawed.

As the most populous country on earth, China is intimidating politically. But there is something that makes China's numbers more threatening. Although China has quite a few ethnic groups within it's boundaries, it is basically a homogeneous society held together by racial similarity and iron government. Education levels are not high and ethnocentrism is common. If China were the leading military power in the world at this time, they would be a major threat to more democratic countries.

There is no question that China is perceived in the third world as counterbalancing the U.S. China has used economic muscle to pull large third world blocs into it's sphere of influence, while discreetly promoting an ideology that is beneficial to it politically.

There is one important difference between China and the United States when it comes to their respective views of radical Islam.

To the typical Christian American, Islam of any sort is a mild threat to Christianity. To the more educated American, radical Islam is a very serious problem.

To the Chinese, as to people in any authoritarian government, radical religion is at most a nuisance. The Chinese are viewing America fighting an existential battle that they themselves have little fear of.