Beijing sees the US president as a weak leader in the autumn of his presidency

Financial Times

 

"Second-term US presidents traditionally seek solace on the global stage. Barack Obama is no exception. Following last week’s drubbing in the US midterm elections, he lands in China on Monday for a summit with Xi Jinping. He is unlikely to find Beijing more pliable than Washington DC. As time goes on, it becomes ever harder to separate his domestic weakness from his global standing. Even the tone is spreading. “US society has grown tired of [Obama’s] banality,” China’s semi-official Global Times said last week.' " ... 

On his last visit to China, when he was still riding high at home, Mr Obama was treated shabbily by his hosts. Today’s much-diminished figure is unlikely to have greater sway.

Also from Drudge:  Condi: The world isn’t listening to the U.S.  "Condoleezza Rice slammed the Obama administration’s handling of Iraq and America’s lack of strength on the world stage, saying that “nobody listens” when the U.S. isn’t leading."