This is how realpolitik works. The U.S. was unique for a long time in that they did not ask for much in return for what they did, because they wanted the power

This is how realpolitik works. The U.S. was unique for a long time in that they did not ask for much in return for what they did, because they wanted the power (troop deployments in Europe, Hong Kong customs status, etc.). Recently, Canada used tit-for-tat to deal with U.S. aluminum tariffs, but they're the "nice" country. This is how it all works.