September 11 took Washington’s eye off the Beijing ball
America was diverted from thinking seriously about China’s rise by the 9/11 attacks. And Australia luxuriated in the belief it might never have to choose between the two.
It is a matter of record that America’s travails in the Middle East after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks diverted the attention of two presidents, George W Bush and Barack Obama, from China’s rise at a critical time.
The terrorist attacks took the focus off China’s rise at a critical time. AP
