The process of globalization has dramatically transformed state-to-state relations at regional levels: As bonds of community of interest are being formulated on greater scales, cooperation will become essential for coexistence in the future. China-US cooperation in the construction of regional order for the Asia-Pacific is not only in their fundamental interests, but also the two major countries’ historical responsibility for the area.

Washington and Beijing have strengthened cooperation in coping with global challenges as climate change and pandemic control, and seen remarkable achievements. Such co-existence and interweaving of competition and cooperation will become the New Normal of China-US ties for a fairly long period of time, though challenges in North Korea and Afghanistan will test that potential.

China’s ideology of global governance shows much continuity between the pre- and post-2008–9 periods. Authoritative Chinese views all generally indicate that China’s proposed changes to the existing international order.

The two countries are not rushing toward collision but thriving on forward-moving, parallel tracks. That’s been the record for more than 30 years, despite fretful narratives of potential conflict.

The official American statement on adhering to one-China principle and hope for peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits helped mitigate suspicions in China and further testified to the US strategic plan to compete with China mainly in the economic field. This will help the two countries to sustain competitive cooperation and for China to readjust and reform its domestic policies.

Many “realist” scholars make predictions about China based on what the Soviet Union did during the Cold War, which assumes the two cases are similar in more ways than are warranted. An enormous amount of cultural capital remains untapped for its potential in collective identity construction. Success in constructing a new Asian identity will not only strengthen cooperation in the short run, but also weaken the appeal of military contestation over time.

Since President Xi Jinping took office in 2013, China has been pursuing its own version of strategic rebalancing in foreign policy. China aims to re-position itself as “a state in the middle”, acting as a bridge among the developed and developing countries and maximizing the strategic space. If Chinese diplomacy and Beijing’s “connectivity” can ease the crisis in the Middle East, the achievement would affirm the nation’s rise to great-power status.

With no real threat to America’s position in the world, Beijing and Washington need to intensify their efforts to build trust and promote understanding. The best way to achieve that is to expand exchanges at all levels of society, a process that has been a triumph of diplomacy ever since a famous ping-pong game made headlines in 1970.

President Xi Jinping on Wednesday urged the United States to work with China to find solutions to more global issues and develop bilateral ties.

As the new year dawns, the U.S. still struggles with the effort to shape the world with itself as the center. Resisting the opportunity to build a more positive relationship with China, underpinned by stronger and closer cooperation, keeps Washington trapped in the past, while many of its allies, including Britain, Europe, Canada and Australia, have embraced a multipolar world that is no threat to the U.S., except to its national ego.