US and Europe scrambling to adjust to changing world order

There has always existed a kind of invisible triangle of games between China, Europe and the United States. Every time China and the US have been at odds, China's relations with Europe has warmed. Similarly, Beijing's ties with Washington would improve once it had a difficult time with European countries.

However, this push-and-pull relationship is undergoing delicate changes, as indicated by a series of disputes between China and the two powers since the beginning of the global financial crisis and in recent months. A new strategy in which the US and European countries are joining hands to contain China is possibly taking shape and will likely tilt the triangular relationship.

Tension in Sino-US relations has been seething on a number of issues, ranging from Google's exit threat from China, the US arms sale to Taiwan, the meeting between the Dalai Lama and US President Barack Obama, and the issue of China's so-called military transparency. Tension with the US has escalated as China's disputes with Europe remain unresolved on issues such as anti-dumping, China's prosecution of British drug trafficker Akmal Shaikh, and disagreements on who is responsible for the discounted Copenhagen climate talks. The US and European countries have also moved forward together in lashing out at China for its alleged failure to correct the imbalance in international trade as the West persistently demands, refusing to side with them on the Iran nuclear issue, the Myanmar situation, African affairs and global climate change.