The past week has offered a unique chance to compare politics in the world’s two biggest powers. The opaque formality of the Communist party congress in China makes an almost comic contrast with the made-for-television razzmatazz of the US presidential election.
The political cultures of Washington and Beijing are utterly different. But the fates of the two countries are increasingly intertwined in ways that are likely to prove both fascinating and dangerous during President Barack Obama’s second term.
Mr Obama is likely to leave office just a couple of years before the US cedes its position as the world’s largest economy to China. The narrowing of the gap between American and Chinese power is already raising tensions between the two nations. China is becoming more assertive – and America is pushing back. The dangers of miscalculation and conflict are increasing.