This deepening chasm of distrust did not develop overnight. It has been growing over many years, fueled by a vast array of accumulated political and strategic perceptions. There is a deep belief in the capitals of both countries that the diplomatic formulations used by each side about the other are no longer believable, that they are a diplomatic fiction, detached from the world of strategic fact, where an entirely different reality has unfolded. Washington no longer believes in China’s self-proclaimed “peaceful rise.” The US national security establishment, in particular, now holds the view
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