The window of opportunity for rapprochement between China and the U.S. is likely small, given the approach of America’s polarizing presidential election season. To put it bluntly, if the Biden administration fails to make corrections 2023 may become another lost year.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to China represents one of the steps taken to actualize the principles discussed during the meeting between President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, in Bali. The visit was initially planned for February this year, but following the "spy balloon" incident, the Biden team decided to postpone it. This decision was influenced by domestic political pressures and an attempt to leverage these pressures against China.

Some of you have recently joined us in celebrating the 100th birthday of Dr. Henry Kissinger. The centenarian has reminded us of how important peaceful coexistence between China and the United States is to humanity’s future. The history of the China-U.S. relationship has told us that both countries stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.

James F. Downes, Mathew Wong and Man Hoo So argue that the EU-China relationship has evolved considerably over recent years into a growing global rivalry in 2023. They argue that whilst the EU has become more interventionist towards China in 2023, there exists large divisions within the core EU institutions alongside EU member states towards relations with China.

The crisis in Sudan is being used by China as a platform to gloat about its efficiency in evacuating citizens from the embattled nation, adding to the narrative that China hopes to create where it can become the world’s leading superpower.

Adjustments in European and American strategies may offer hope for a return to normal relations with China. The EU and U.S. should dump their political prejudices against China, take care of the common security of the world, try to remove risks and truly cooperate with China.

Managing uncertainties in China-U.S. ties will require the U.S. to accept all-around bilateral dialogue and exchanges between the two countries’ national leaders, experts, scholars and the general public. It needs to identify the true sources of significant disagreements and eliminate its misreading of China.

Setting up a new joint secretariat could be key to keeping engagement between the world's leading economies on track.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva traveled to Shanghai and Beijing in early April, where his delegation signed 15 agreements across a range of sectors, including several aimed at decreasing reliance on the U.S. dollar, U.S. agricultural exports, and U.S. financial institutions. These agreements represent Brazil and China drawing closer and providing alternatives to each other that can circumvent U.S. controls and norms.

China’s relationship with Canada has been suffering for the last few years under the weight of tit-for-tat sanctions and expulsions of officials. Whether or not the two countries will continue this descent will depend on China’s plans to influence policy abroad, and Canada’s appetite for confrontation with the world’s largest exporting economy.