China is marshalling its forces for long-term competition against an America that it believes is divided and in decline
Under the new president, the range of possible outcomes is wider than ever before
As high-level interactions increase, both sides must aim for pragmatic reconnection
Beijing as mediator is a fantasy — European leaders must make clear the cost of China’s support for Moscow
China uses coercive means to advance interests, from market access to maritime issues
Critics say the US gave up crucial leverage in return for no firm commitments
As the US and China threaten a trade war, the widely used crop has become one of the main areas of dispute
Defence secretary Mattis insists US has not exhausted diplomatic options
![TOPSHOT - CORRECTION - This picture from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) taken on August 29, 2017 and released on August 30, 2017 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) watching the launch of an intermediate-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 at an undisclosed location near Pyongyang. Nuclear-armed North Korea said on August 30 that it had fired a missile over Japan the previous day, the first time it has ever acknowledged doing so. / AFP PHOTO / KCNA VIA KNS / STR / South Korea OUT / REPUBLIC OF KOREA OUT ---EDITORS NOTE--- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO/KCNA VIA KNS" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS THIS PICTURE WAS MADE AVAILABLE BY A THIRD PARTY. AFP CAN NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, LOCATION, DATE AND CONTENT OF THIS IMAGE. THIS PHOTO IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY AFP. / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by STR has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [at an undisclosed location near Pyongyang] instead of [in Pyongyang]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require.STR/AFP/Getty Images](https://www.ft.com/__origami/service/image/v2/images/raw/http%3A%2F%2Fprod-upp-image-read.ft.com%2F3dea2640-8d7d-11e7-9580-c651950d3672?source=next&fit=scale-down&dpr=2&width=240)
