When the balance of power shifts in the world, you expect it to be a Big Thing. Am I right? Bombs bursting in air? But turning points are often very subtle. And this one happened just now.

It’s “time to say goodbye” to the United States, said Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on a visit to China, where he and President Xi Jinping are turning the recently-frosty tide with bilateral agreements, while Washington now gets the cold shoulder.