Most of China’s ancient canon of 36 stratagems for use in politics, war and civil interaction depend on guile and deception to achieve their goals. But so far, the messages from US president-elect Donald Trump to China have had all the subtlety of a full-frontal diplomatic assault.
If the disparate signals from Mr Trump and his team are taken together and acted upon, then it is not hyperbolic to imagine a new cold war in prospect. This is because some of the areas challenged by the Trump team are elemental to China’s self-image as a rising power.
The broadside unleashed on Wednesday by Rex Tillerson, nominee for US secretary of state, is a case in point. His warning that China will not be allowed access to islands it has built in the South China Sea targets one of Beijing’s strategic priorities. After thousands of years prioritising the defence of the middle kingdom from land-based invasions, China in 2015 issued an official “white paper” that reorientated its strategic posture, elevating maritime power to a position of prime importance.