From a broader vantage point, Meng’s arrest looks more like a litmus test for how countries like Canada and companies such as Huawei navigate the growing great-power rivalry between the United States and China. Few are willing to take sides — but unless Washington and Beijing change course, countries and companies will increasingly be forced to. So far, Canada is standing firm, but it’s hardly the only middle power to face a stark choice between the United States and China. No hard choicesThere is, of course, another way: Avoid situations in which countries or companies must make a binary choice between the United States and China. But in others, such as basic science and technology research, the United States could adopt a more balanced cost-benefit calculus, mindful that for many countries and companies, it’s an impossible choice between the world’s two largest economies.

Source: Washington Post December 17, 2018 09:56 UTC