> I understand in the abstract why the US is freaking out about China as their economy is eclipsing the US and they are starting to create a competing internati

> I understand in the abstract why the US is freaking out about China as their economy is eclipsing the US and they are starting to create a competing international order to the WTO/IMF type deal with the belt and road initiative. However, I don't understand exactly what is triggering the national security establishment's (usually stupid and deadly) sudden paranoia about China. The previous administrations were directly collaborating with China, which was justified to the public with the wishful thinking that the CCP would liberalize when exposed to the productive free market. This administration doesn't have the same ties with the Chinese state that the previous ones did, and at the same time China is becoming visibly less liberal and more tyrannical. It's not paranoia if you know anything about the CCP.