Tillerson exposes US paranoia by calling China 'imperialist power'

In a matter of weeks, China has seen its image upgraded from the "revisionist state" portrayed in the United States National Security Strategy to what US State Secretary Rex Tillerson calls a "new imperialist power""reminiscent of European colonialism".

This, in the context of recent US policy statements, as was obvious in US President Donald Trump's first State of the Union address, points to a worrisome turn in the orientation of the US' China policy, something that may fundamentally change the overall picture of China-US relations.

We have talked a lot about the existence of a perception gap. This is how that gap is finally rising to the surface and likely to reshape the crucial relationship.