When Barack Obama said in Tokyo on Saturday that the world was at “one of those rare inflection points in history”, he was referring to the global economy. But the US president could just as well have been describing international politics.
Air Force One touched down in Shanghai last night to start Mr Obama's first visit to China at a time when America's position as global top dog is widely viewed to be in long-term decline.
Mr Obama, who moves on to Beijing tonight for two days of talks with the Chinese leadership, has made clear that he views China's rise as a potentially positive development. His remarks in Tokyo were an emollient contrast to George W. Bush's description of China as a “strategic competitor”.
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