The Butterfly Effect has taken flight. China’s diplomatic accomplishment in reconciling Saudi Arabia and Iran could have far-reaching consequences, with Ukraine’s future caught in its wake. The unexpected nature of this historic move means that its ramifications are rapidly gaining momentum and could unleash a tidal wave of global proportions, particularly in Europe.

The Xi-Putin summit seems to have had little immediate impact on China-Russia relations, the war on Ukraine, on other major global issues. But the context of the meeting underscores the durability of the Beijing-Moscow alignment.

The negative impact of what appears to be a new cold war in East Asia — even as the U.S. forcefully pushes for U.S.-Japan-ROK cooperation — should not be underestimated. There are obvious obstacles within the alliance that will make moving forward difficult.

French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen clearly signaled that trade, not ideology, will continue to anchor China-EU relations. Even so, the Russia-Ukraine conflict could complicate matters if not resolved.

As close neighbors, China and Japan must seriously explore ways to coexist peacefully. The only way to build a robust relationship, as Premier Li Qiang has said, is for both sides to focus on the long-term picture and build on positive elements.

China and Russia recently released a joint statement to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries. But while Russia is now poised to get closer to China than it was before, it still has a long way to go to catch up to the U.S.-China relationship.

Both countries must correctly handle the difficult problems arising from the competition or cooperation dichotomy using the great wisdom found in their traditional cultures. Both can rise together.

The U.S. and China’s growing rivalry was bound to affect global relationships on multiple levels. Already having established the AUKUS program, the U.S. is also pursuing an adjacent Japan-Philippine-U.S. alliance which will add another security barrier in the Pacific, a difficult fence to raise in a region where many countries rely heavily on China for trade.

Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, wants to unite the global South and hopes to play a bigger role in the international community. Lacking inclusiveness, however, its strategies and tactics may run aground.

Chinese president’s trip was a positive, good-faith effort to defuse the crisis in Ukraine and prevent bloc confrontations. China wants to maintain international peace and stability while seeking to open up broad new prospects for relations between major powers.