[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.