Comment: The game is up for the West

China is set to become the world’s leading economy but the fundamental difference in values between it and the West is unlikely to change

The West will have to find a way to live with China as it actually is, that means finding a path between kowtowing and confrontation. Picture: Getty

The confrontation between China and the West is escalating almost daily. The conflict is about technology, trade, global market share and supply chains, but also about fundamental values. Underpinning this economic and ideological competition is the goal of global predominance in the 21st century.

But why is the current escalation happening now? It is not as though the West suddenly had some epiphany about the implications of China’s rise. The fact that China is a ...