How does a country of 300 million go up against a country of 1.4 billion in any way based on per capita aggregates? Previous administrations saw the “baby” elep

How does a country of 300 million go up against a country of 1.4 billion in any way based on per capita aggregates? Previous administrations saw the “baby” elephant for what it was and decided to introduce it to the world on US terms instead of Chinese terms. That’s basically what Kissinger says Mao communicated to him when they met-that China would surpass the US someday and they were planning for it centuries out if needed. There is a silver lining though. The US land is more fertile and has greater resources than China. It’s also got a more diverse system across the board - and the world stage typically prefers the US to China (at least before Trump). You tell me how the US positions itself any better than what it did and now seeks to undo.