A review of China-U.S. relations in 2022 shows a shift toward a new duality in American strategic thinking that may dominate for a long time. Communication between national leaders has brought new hope for stability, but now the world is watching to see if their points of agreement can be put into practice.

As the U.S. seeks to advance its position and strengthen the U.S. dollar global dominance, it is also facing challenges and an anti-hegemonic sentiment from other states. Events such as the war in Ukraine, tensions between the U.S., Russia, and China, as well as new strategic partnerships developed between China and Europe, Latin America, and Africa, are driving forces in the shift of balance of power to non-Western nations.

Members of the European Union have not taken kindly to the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, which tilts the business playing field against them. Subsidies are encouraging some businesses to move their operations to North America, and the political heat is palpable.

The historic meeting between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping was short on resolutions, but gave promise for those hoping for a toned down approach to the bilateral tensions that have plagued the two nations since the middle of the 2010s.

This year’s G20 summit was haunted by the war in Ukraine, changing the complexion of nearly all interactions at the meeting. A sober assessment of the situation between Taiwan and China leaves much room for speculation about how an escalated conflict there might affect the world’s powers at large.

Do three recent high-level meetings mean that Beijing wants to fill a vacuum? No — there is no vacuum, despite a comment by U.S. President Joe Biden. The goal of Arab people in seeking friendly relations with China is not security but development.

In the late 70s of the last century I was appointed as a member of the Egyptian delegation to the United Nations in Geneva dealing with international security issues and disarmament at the Palais des Nation. A young Egyptian diplomat, I was quickly startled when i witnessed both the Soviet and American delegates vehemently arguing and promoting the strategic logic, sustainability and intrinsic deterrent value of nuclear deterrence and particularly that of “Mutually Assured Destruction ”. China had not yet joined the Committee as a functioning member.

Despite tensions between the U.S. and China on the economic and political fronts, leaders from both countries found some common ground during their recent meeting in Bali. Presidents Biden and Xi have reiterated their commitment to work together to address transnational challenges, avoid conflict with each other, and maintain open communication.

Indonesia famously played host to Joe Biden and Xi Jinping’s first face-to-face meeting of Biden’s presidency; a milestone in the great power rivalry between East and West. Historically, Indonesia has also been the site of another major international summit - the Bandung Conference which produced a network of “non-aligned” states. Each of these events is a mirror of our modern times as Southeast Asia’s medium-sized powers seek to navigate a contentious climate between the U.S. and China’s competing influences.

China is a traditional land power and is currently in the initial stage of building into a maritime power. On the other hand, the United States is a traditional