For fifteen years it lay low. A peaceful rise it said. Benefits to all it said. Open and fair trade for all it said. One economy and two systems it said.
Either it was lies all along or something has gone horribly wrong because China’s mask of friendliness has now dropped off. In its place is a snarling and angry beast, openly happy to violate sovereignty, undermine democracy and use economic blackmail to achieve its ends.
This pressure is not new. We’ve seen it for several years as China became more assertive via political bribery channels and strategic land-grabs. But as that tactic was pushed back, China has not backed down, on the contrary. Flushed into the open, China appears now happy to pursue its interests openly, aggressively and punitively.
