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The US, despite its hypocrisies, does let human rights significantly drive its foreign policy. But that makes it an unreliable partner. China more or less doesn't care about other countries' internal domestic policies and mostly wants them to remain stable. What's a poisoning or beheading between friends?
If I were a leader sitting on a powder keg, it would take an exceptionally sweet deal to make me choose a partner that would throw me under the bus at the first sight of anything unsavory.
I see no real evidence of this. I'd be curious if you could provide any. The US has de facto invaded Iraq and currently occupies a third of Syria illegally. It has imposed crushing sanctions on Venezuela (sanctions almost hit the poor in any country the most.. the elites tend to be fine). It has nothing to do with democracy. It has had amenable relations with plenty of authoritarian states. Saudi until recently and Egypt currently.
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