By Tyler Roney
While the cat's missing, the mice will build economic and political ties to hinder U.S. interests in Asia.
The APEC summit in Bali and the East Asia Forum meeting in Brunei went Obama-less due to a Republican-led hissy fit that shut down the US government a week ago. In the meantime, China is pushing its economic interests and pushing back against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement.
Xi Jingping has been the star of the recent talks in Asia, giving the planet a taste of a new "multi-polar" world. With his talk of a Maritime Silk Road and his suspiciously passive remarks on island disputes, Xi definitely made an impression. Sure, John Kerry made the trip and is doing his level best to shore up support, but he has been overshadowed by China's surprisingly charming charm offensive and Obama's no-show.
Read the full story at The Diplomat