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When asked recently by New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman whether China, as the “biggest energy investor in Iraq,�� should behave more like a stakeholder there, U.S. President Barack Obama had a pointed reply. The Chinese, “have been free riders for the last 30 years and it’s worked really well for them,�� while the United States has had to bear the burdens of maintaining international security and prosperity for the good of the world.

Those comments "triggered": a sharply negative reaction in the Chinese press. Although Obama might not have intended to be so blunt, his remarks reflect a widespread view within Washington that China, in order to minimize its foreign risks and costs, has not been as helpful as it should on a range of global challenges, especially nonproliferation....