Beijing’s integrationist vision and Hong Kong protestors’ demand for a Western-style democracy illustrate a central dichotomy which needs to be addressed.

FOLLOWING the developments of the past few months, it’s clear that the primacy of the nation state and its function as the basic unit of international engagement is the core principle which informs China’s geo-strategic approach under President Xi Jinping.President Donald Trump articulated the US’ adherence to this principle too in his inaugural speech to the United Nations in 2017 in simple, stark terms.