China has not been the only or even the most vociferous critic of what Germany’s influential daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung described as the “political bankruptcy” of the United States, highlighted by the recent destructive brinkmanship between Republicans and Democrats.

China views Washington’s travails holistically — as interdependent elements of a system of US international management and leadership. Seen in this detached and cold-eyed fashion, US shortcomings on the economic, political or strategic fronts are not easily dismissed — as Secretary of State John Kerry did — as “a moment of political silliness” in what is otherwise a healthy and self-confident American international leadership.

China views the US “strategic retreat from the Middle East” as the consequence of a colossal misapplication of strategic resources aimed at “encouraging regime-change in nations that it deems hardly Washington-friendly.” American reliability, clear-headedness and strategic commitment are prized attributes for China, which, notwithstanding its often adversarial relationship with Washington, retains a critical stake in the economic and security system that it leads.

China is a growing economic force in the Middle East. It now imports more oil from Saudi Arabia than the United States, and it actively pursues economic ties in Iran and military sales, most recently with NATO ally Turkey.