For allies and adversaries alike, America at 250 is a solid global citizen gone rogue

America has long stood for freedom and prosperity, but under Trump insults, threats and unpredictability have become the new norm. As the US marks its 250th anniversary, Guardian correspondents around the world report on how it is perceived elsewhere On the shores of Beijing’s central lakes, elderly Beijingers relax under the shade of willow trees. Some swim, some play mahjong, and one old man plays darts: US and Chinese-flagged arrows competing for the bullseye. The adversarial view of US-China relations is typical among people like these who lived through the cold war. Wen Feng, a 60-year-old retiree, described the US as a “troublemaker” – a viewpoint fanned by years of state propaganda casting Uncle Sam as a villainous, hypocritical force on the world stage. Nevertheless, the US’s wealth and abundance has long attracted even the most ardent Chinese nationalists. For years, the political and business elites – including China’s president, Xi Jinping – have sent their children to study there. Across Chinese society, it used to be the case that everyone wanted a slice of the American dream. Dissidents flocked to the US for freedom and democracy, especially after the 1989 crackdown o