Once again it is to China that attention should be paid for genuine diplomacy and international engagement aimed at strengthening the world economy. Sadly, it is to the US where one need look no further for a culture of bullying and belligerence towards other, often smaller and weaker, nations.

A prime example recently can be found with the launch late last year of the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

On Oct24, 2014, a signing ceremony, held in Beijing, formally recognized the establishment of the bank with an impressive total of 21 countries signing the bill. Such a lengthy list of willing signatories and participants is proof enough of the positive economic impact of this Chinese initiative.

However, not only did the US not participate in the signing ceremony, Obama’s administration openly criticized the initiative and applied significant pressure on Australia and South Korea so they did not sign up as founding AIIB members.

Obama, US bully boy, however, rose to the highest hypocritical heights during this Sate of the Union speech when commenting “As Americans, we respect human dignity…..which is why I’ve prohibited torture…”.

What Obama failed to mention is the determined and lengthy rearguard action that he is leading against the Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture which exposed unequivocally widespread abuse of human rights and human dignity. As part of this action Obama has also, quite incredibly, blocked any prosecution of the torturers.

Then Obama rounded off his speech with rousing rhetoric on American values such as “justice” and “freedom”. The lame duck president’s speech only put Uncle Sam’s hypocrisy into spotlight again.

The author is a visiting professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing and a senior lecturer on marketing at Southampton Solent University's School of Business.