2010-2013 may be seen in retrospect to mark the beginning of a prolonged confrontation between China and the USA seeing both the coming to power of Xi, according to this article under the influence of the 2010 book “China Dream”, and the publication in 2011 of Clintons essay Asia’ Pacific Century. I had always tended to regard the famous “pivot to Asia” with some skepticism seeing it as merely a response to US failure in the Middle East. However, Brexit has made me rethink since it seems essentially to be a realignment of the UK with the USA with regard to China. Cameron called for the referendum on the EU in early 2013 but subsequently the UK appeared to be entering into an unprecedented strategic partnership with China. However, Cameron’s role in this was viewed with evident skepticism by the Chinese and it was George Osborne who took the leading role culminating in President Xi’s visit to London last year. Osborne is the main victim of post-Brexit vote machinations as well as the leave campaign’s neoconservative leaders who seemed to be under the illusion that victory would bring them to power. Power has instead fallen to May who has already put dampeners on the China partnership and brought the UK out of the sphere of influence of Chinese soft power. Not for the first time in its history Britain has abandoned its own national interest in deference to that of US imperialism.

WSJ

13th March 2013

Soon after taking over as Communist Party and military chief, Xi Jinping launched a series of speeches referring to “The China Dream.”

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