CHINA has taken issue with US President Barack Obama’s declaration that the United States will continue to be “the one indispensable nation” in the world for the next century. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Qin Gang said in Beijing that while it “feels good to be the world’s leader, there is no Paul the Octopus when it comes to foreign affairs” – a reference to the creature that came to fame in 2010 for its accurate prediction of World Cup matches.

Relations between the two behemoths have iced over in recent months as China criticised the US for emboldening allies such as the Philippines and Japan in its maritime territorial disputes.

… Singapore-based international relations analyst Li Mingjiang said: “The message to the US is first not to blame China for everything but to look at its own actions, and second, that the US should not take support for its world leadership for granted in these changing circumstances. Only if its actions are benevolent and moral will other countries support it on the world stage.”