1/3 We've learned that Ottawa, willing to countenance Chinese-made security scanners in our embassies, was equally unconcerned that the PLA's Canadian-trained winter warriors might apply their skills in, say, the high passes of the Himalayas

2/3 The strategy, such as it is, is to preserve as much of the old relationship as possible in anticipation of sunnier times. The PM and ministers would probably defend this as a kind of messy, necessary realpolitik--that has the added benefit of not requiring new ideas

3/3 But what we're actually preserving is our deeply flawed notion of China, which suits the leadership in Beijing just fine. It allows them more time to deal with countries, like Australia, that have a far more accurate sense of what a Chinese future looks like