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Xi’s golden opportunity to be the bigger person in the South China Sea row
China’s ambitions for regional leadership face one obstacle of its own making – its heavy-handed actions in the disputed waters.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping meeting US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Osaka in June 2019.
PHOTO: AFP
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All week last week, the anti-China hawks of the world must have been stewing as they cast an evil eye on President Xi Jinping’s three-nation South-east Asian tour. There they were, immobilised by Washington’s tariff madness, forced to watch the Chinese leader’s charm offensive proceed practically without a hitch, hitting all the right diplomatic notes.
Their protestations that China is no adult in the room would have fallen flat given how deeply Mr Xi’s message of amity resonated with his hosts.
