Proxy Wars Fuel China's Rise

China’s economic and technological support for partners (oil purchases via shadow fleets, yuan‑denominated trade, dual‑use tech transfers, and supply of drone components) allows adversaries of the U.S. to sustain proxy conflicts. Those conflicts bleed U.S. resources and attention, letting China consolidate influence without committing to direct confrontation. — If true, this reframes Iran and Ukraine not as isolated crises but as mechanisms through which Beijing advances a multipolar order, changing how democracies should prioritize strategy and sanctions.