Not since the suppression of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests has there been this much diplomatic concern about the direction China is taking. And for once, in a highly unusual show of frustration and unity, Western nations are speaking out in concert. In the past two months, the United States has been joined by European nations, Canada and Japan in a series of strongly worded joint statements expressing deep concern about where China is headed under President Xi Jinping. Some have been made in public joint letters to the Chinese government, others in private. Whether they make a difference is an open question. “Western nations are more united,” said one diplomat, who declined to be identified to talk freely about […]