Not only the attempt at mediation between Russia and Ukraine, but also those between Iran and Saudi Arabia and even Israel and Palestine. And then the (debated) official visit of Ursula von der Leyen and Emmanuel Macron, the common front with Lula to counter the hegemony of the dollar. China's diplomatic activism reveals the desire to position itself as an alternative to the US, not only for the countries of the Global South. The time of a low profile seems to be over: Beijing has become convinced that, to curb its rise, Washington is playing dirty. And it is ready to make things difficult.