With its penchant for tactical pushback, Beijing is surely sending a message with the no-show. Beneath the conciliatory tone of recent visits by US officials, China is letting it be known it will not take US containment lying down.

With its penchant for tactical pushback, Beijing is surely sending a message with the no-show. Beneath the conciliatory tone of recent visits by US officials, China is letting it be known it will not take US containment lying down.