Thoughtful article Logan Stone.

You may be exaggerating the Russia and China alliance. It's more temporary convenience and transactional. China's vital interaction remains with the economic powers of America and Europe.

In the past decades, America has generally shied away from investment in the world, resulting in lost political and economic influence. A small but glaring example of this neglect is in the Pacific Islands, and the big one is Africa. We don't have embassies in many of these places and lack policies for them. China, Russia, and more minor powers such as Turkey have filled the void.

It's counterintuitive, but America needs to get closer to China and put a lid on the popular anti-China rhetoric because it can too easily drive policy to our peril.

Many thanks.