You should read about the Opium Wars. Britain literally went to war with China so they could sell opium to the Chinese. Pretty clear parallels here.

The parallel would be US = Britain and China = China. US is running a trade deficit with china like britain was running a trade deficit with china in the 1800s.

If the US invaded china and forced china to buy opium to offset the trade imbalance, then the parallel would apply.

I don't remember china invading the US. And china isn't forcing drugs on the US, no more than mexico or south america is forcing drugs on the US. There is demand for drugs in the US. That is the problem.

And the slow but recent drug legalization around the country and the glamorization of drugs in the media isn't going to help.

Do you feel you have a good sense of what things “help” the Chinese government?

Do you feel clear on what their short, medium, and long term objectives are?

I’m sure I don’t.

It seems obvious there is at least some potential benefit to causing your biggest competitor for military and economic influence a bunch of costly problems ... but I truly have no idea what any of these leaders are thinking about.

Motivation seem the most obvious think. The opium wars and they say openly they don't like the west and are openly competing with them

precedent: opium wars?

Ironic reversal of a supposed century of humiliation. A weakening of a hostile hegemony?