I strongly suspect that Mr Obama is playing tough for the domestic audience due to the elections in November. «Standing up to China» is popular in the US - as if China were responsible for the problems the US is facing - «scottfreitas» would do better to look for «thieving, lying bastards» closer to home. Moreover, it seems to me likely that the Chinese leadership is very much aware of what is going on and has long ago discounted the arms sales to Taiwan and the meeting with Tenzin Gyatso, while, of course, not neglecting the customary protests - qui tacet, concentit, which the Chinese will never do. Things will likely cool off after November, if the US doesn’t get an even more dysfunctional Congress thań that it already has….
I strongly suspect that Mr Obama is playing tough for the domestic audience due to the elections in November. «Standing up to China» is popular in the US - as if China were responsible for the problems the US is facing - «scottfreitas» would do better to look for «thieving, lying bastards» closer to home. Moreover, it seems to me likely that the Chinese leadership is very much aware of what is going on and has long ago discounted the arms sales to Taiwan and the meeting with Tenzin Gyatso, while, of course, not neglecting the customary protests - qui tacet, concentit, which the Chinese will never do. Things will likely cool off after November, if the US doesn’t get an even more dysfunctional Congress thań that it already has….
Henri