Are we stumbling into a new Cold War between the US and PRC?

[Zinneke]

I don't think the American people have the same appetite to take on China and the hardships that entails than they did against a Soviet state that was guilty of far more overt oppression in parts of the world and domestically. For all the talk about the million interned Uyghurs, the anti-trade rhetoric (that is actually justified, take note Democrats who still prostitute themselves to multilateralism), the terrible measures against individual liberties and groups...do Americans really care?

This has serious implications because I fear the Chinese elite are actually far more out of touch to even care about maintaining some basic standards at the international level, just so they can tow their "national sovereignty" vision at the same level. In many ways it will handicap the UN more than the USSR veto ever did, because the institutional make up of the UN will become PRC dominated. European politicians now are so down the social ladder compared to yesteryear and so lacking any vision for Europe beyond atharaxia, they accept CHinese investment for a free pass on parts of the world that are our responsibility if we want to stop the misery there that creates the refugee crisis, economic problems, etc.

Only a renewal of EU-US axis as equals would be worthwile. TTIP was a way to strengthen that but again it was hijacked by lobby groups who care about the bottom line rather than the real vision of it  : blocking China.