China could retaliate in several ways that would cause serious damage to the United States if President-elect Donald Trump were to overplay his hand with the Asian nation, according to an Asia expert at the Atlantic Council.

Despite late sparks from US President-elect Trump, China’s relations with the US, Russia, Europe, Latin America and its Asian neighbors all improved during the year, with promise for long-term stability.

Chinese sources have attempted to explain the seizure of a U.S. Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) with reference to maritime safety or protests over U.S. military reconnaissance in and around Chinese waters. China seized the drone to send a signal to President-elect Donald Trump that China wasn’t going to play around with any threats to the One China Principle, which Trump threatened by calling Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. However, there is no need for abrupt action right now that alienates president-elect Trump and his advisors. China’s economic and global clout gives it the influence it needs to preserve its “core” interests in international society, and China’s true power doesn’t derive from its ability to pull a U.S. UUV out of the water; it comes from its regional and global economic influence.

By showcasing China’s traditional pursuit of win-win cooperation and a community of common destiny for mankind, Beijing can counter the absurd flurry of books, research papers, political fantasies and imaginary fictions produced by Cold War thinkers in the U.S. to paint China as a villain or a war-monger that is hostile to the U.S.

Hillary Clinton would have been far more predictable for China, but the realities of the election require new thinking and the embrace of a positive sense of adventure.

China has coped with the year’s upheavals with calmness and confidence, committed to its own principles in dealing with world affairs. The country must hope that US president-elect Trump will be similarly focused to meet the realities of our times.

While bilateral ties have been generally stable recently, especially in the wake of regular Xi-Obama meetings, people in both countries are waiting to see whether the relationship can transfer smoothly into the Trump era.

President-elect Trump is lacking practical experience in China beyond making the occasional sale to a businessman. This does not translate into foreign policy, and undermines the “great relationship” that he’s claimed to have since the campaign. It seems that in Trump’s mind, everything China does is suspect.

Unfortunately for President-elect Trump, he can’t ignore the conflagration of the Middle East that he will inherit from his predecessors. But he can avoid creating more conflicts and new regional tensions elsewhere if he sticks to the idea of getting along with everybody. In the case of China, Trump has the opportunity to break cleanly from the past.

China’s entry into Latin America since the beginning of the century has altered regional dynamics, providing opportunities for Latin American and Caribbean nations to diversify beyond a traditional reliance on the U.S. market. As the United States pulls up hemispheric stakes on trade, China is already positioning itself to rush in.