\"It is unacceptable that Xi insisted China would 'firmly continue to protect its sovereignty and maritime rights' in the South China Sea. Beijing has called on Washington to play a 'constructive role' in dealing with this issue, but it is China that is raising tensions in the region and challenging the U.S.-led order there. It was unfortunate that this last chance for Obama to draw out a compromise from China before his term ends in January 2017 failed to produce a positive result. Obama has avoided a sharp split in U.S.-China ties and has pushed a conciliatory approach that placed emphasis on expanding cooperation. This strategy was dependent on a positive change from China, but we think Obama ended up being viewed by Xi as merely an 'opponent who is easily taken advantage of.'\"<\/p><\/blockquote>",
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