The United States has become increasingly critical of China over the past few weeks. Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, has openly castigated China over its military moves in its neighbourhood and in the South China Sea. China’s opaque and authoritarian political structure and its expansionist policy are being denounced the world over. This is absolutely fine. But it must not be forgotten that today’s China has been, in some sense, a creation of the US and its western allies. They have been instrumental in China’s economic rise as they have made huge investments there for their economic gains,