SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN: "China is the only country with the economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to seriously challenge the stable and open international system, all the rules, values and relationships that make the world work the way we want it to, because it ultimately serves the interests and reflects the values of the American people."
Once more: "...all the rules, values and relationships that make the world work the way we want it to, because it ultimately serves the interests and reflects the values of the American people."
So now, what might be those 'rules', 'values' and 'relationships'? Here are some implicit and explicit ones:
AMERICAN RULES
Rule #1 America is always right
Rule #2 United Nations human rights and the international criminal court apply to others, not America (or Israel)
Rule #3 The Geneva Convention prohibiting wars of Aggression does not apply to the US
Rule #4 [Per Rule #3], the US has the right to wage, fund or covertly aid and abet trade wars or militaristic wars of aggression against any country that:
[i] Refuses to advance American business interests,
[ii] Has resources America wants, or
[iii] Fails to be completely subservient to the US.
Rule #5 The United States has the right to impose an embargo or economic sanctions upon any country they deem to have failed to acknowledge American hegemony (OR has registered any disagreement with rules 1-4.)
Rule #6 The minority of the opulent must be protected from the majority
Rule #7 Free Trade Agreements are only permitted when they protect and advance American corporate interests
Rule #8 Economic competition is acceptable, but only if America always wins and is considered number 1 (see Rule #1)
Rule #9 U.S. Diplomacy is only acceptable on American terms
Rule #10 Since the United States government must be prepared to fight a war against China and/or Russia, the US military budget shall take priority over all other social or infrastructure spending.
AMERICAN VALUES
1. Greed is Good
2. Might makes Right
3. Neoliberalism (i.e. profit over people)
4. America is exceptional above all other nations
RELATIONSHIPS
[I] NATO: America must have absolute sovereignty when it comes to aggression against foreign countries.
[II] United Nations: The UN shall advance American interests, or funds to the UN will promptly end
[III] All Other Treaty's and Agreements: America shall unilaterally determine whether to honour or end such relationships
Now that we've cleared up the issue of Rules, Values and Relationships, what's the problem with China this time? In what way are they 'threatening' the US?
In military terms? Nope, no evidence of that.
Are they trying to foment rebellion within the US or imposing economic sanctions? No, again, no evidence of that.
Are they interfering in American elections or undermining the American government. No, once again, no evidence of that.
What they ARE doing is making America look like they are no longer Number 1, (in contravention of Rule # 8) and in fact a loser who cares primarily for the rich. In other words,
(1) China has the absolute temerity to advance programs and initiatives over the last 40 years that have lifted 700 million people out of extreme poverty.
(2) China is advancing scientific and technological developments in telecommunications and green technology without American permission.
Then, to add insult to injury: (3) China is refusing to follow America's example of hoarding vaccines and instead, in the spirit of vaccine diplomacy and equality, are shipping millions of vaccine doses to nations in the Global South.
For Antony Blinken and other American exceptionalists, China's complete lack of deference to American hegemony, American exceptionalism, and their flagrant violations of American Rules, Values and Relationships simply cannot be tolerated.