It is surprising that there is any surprise at all over the deterioration in U.S.-China relations under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. On the campaign trail and since taking office, he has pledged to tackle trade imbalances and restore American power and geopolitical advantage.
Both these themes involve China, the source of America's biggest bilateral trade deficit and its greatest potential superpower rival. Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping is pursuing his own national greatness project to challenge U.S. leadership in Asia while aggressively entrenching the Communist Party's monopoly on political power at home.
