China asserts its military might in a new and uncertain world order

A military personnel in eastern China’s Shandong province: the People's Liberation Army is the world's largest standing army with 2.2 million active service personnel. Photograph: Pedro Pardo / AFP via Getty Images Mark Rutte's grovelling to Donald Trump this week went viral in China, with countless social media posts showing the Nato secretary general referring to the United States president as Daddy. For some of the more chauvinistic who shared it, the clip exemplified Europe's subordination to the United States and the contrast with China's policy of standing up to Trump. In advance of this week's Nato summit in The…