The links are all there alright.

The west is profoundly anxious about its position in the world and this is exacerbated by China's inexorable preponderance.

And it is only natural to make poor decisions in a state of heightened anxiety.

My point here is that the west could succeed quite handily against China, if it sought to collaborate with its former colonies- both collaboration entails working from a position of equality and not lecturing people on their institutions.

While Germany has failed to rise to the scale of the challenge of a resurgent China, it is never too late to adopt policies which could change its fortunes.