LOS ANGELES — Three of the largest pieces in the sprawling jigsaw puzzle known as Asia are, of course, China, India and Japan. The first is the most populous country on Earth, the second is the most populous democracy and the third is the world's second-biggest economy — and (theoretically) chief U.S. Asian ally. Recent events show that in its relationship with this Asiatic trio, the United States has serious problems to overcome.
Over the near term, the Sino-U.S. bilateral relationship will probably become more troubled. This is not so much because of anything China has been up to — with the all-important Summer Olympics pending next year in Beijing, the government is doing its best to behave itself.
The problem is that the U.S. looks to be entering a bumpy stretch of history. With the dramatic housing downturn showing no sign of bottoming out and an always nervous-making presidential election race looming, external evil villains will need to be found. This is generally the American way when the going gets tough: We blame others. China, with its trade-gap superiority, substandard and lead-tainted toys and indefatigable irritation toward Taiwan's government, will be an excellent candidate for a bit of bashing as the campaign looks for targets of foreign opportunity.