“‘One ounce of prevention is worth one pound of cure.’ That was the analogy former senior U.S. official Daniel Russel gave when talking to Nikkei about the American response to China’s new national security law for Hong Kong…
“He blamed the failure to nip China’s move in the bud on the lack of a united international front stemming from the current White House’s inclination to put America first. The lack of bite in the international response, and President Donald Trump’s concerns that a collapse of the trade deal with China would hurt U.S. farmers and ultimately his reelection campaign, gave Beijing the confidence to move ahead, Russel said…”