Rex Tillerson’s recent trip to Beijing attracted a wave of commentary fixated upon the question of whether the new Secretary of State had sold out by accepting Xi Jinping’s linguistic formulation of U.S.-China relations.

Tillerson’s messaging to Xi on the North Korea issue took second place to this question, or third, if we count the many essays expressing frustration with Tillerson’s self-imposed segregation from the normal press corps.

In any case, not enough attention was granted to a more important and interesting pursuit: essays and editorials published in Chinese before and during Tillerson’s visit, all of which provide insight into