[LexiMax]

I think that was the idea, but in practice I think that China successfully outmaneuvered the United States by taking advantage of the short-sighted greed of our businesses leaders.

They are now the manufacturing capital of the world, and our position of being the preeminent consumer in the world lasts only as long as our consumers can afford to purchase things.

[boringg]

These are long lived relationships -- they may have outmaneueverd at some points, and also restrained at others.

China runs a precarious political situation which is only as strong as the country is economically stable - which currently it is veering to unstable. It goes without saying the US is also in a precarious situation - it is much more publicized due to the nature of the US airing all its dirty laundry publicly.