LOS ANGELES — Some double-standards are two-faced in the extreme, but not all.
More and more members of the international commentariat (the cute word we use for the collective of appointed or self-appointed political pontificators around the world) are angry at China. Their claim is that Beijing is ducking its duties as a "responsible stakeholder." This is the now-famous standard set for it in a seminal foreign-policy speech by a top U.S. official a few years ago that China has seemed to accept.
In one sense, "responsible stakeholder" means that China, as a rising power, needs to take on obligations that strengthen the world order, even if they do not directly jack up China's interests overnight. At a simpler level, the term means that China needs to always play nice with others in the sandbox of politics.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.