Geopolitical tensions unleashed by the war in Ukraine continue to influence Sino-American relations and the reshaping of state relationships in Southeast Asia.

President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia seeks to disrupt the U.S.’ influence in the region and deepen relationships with one of the largest oil exporting countries in the world, with the signing of multiple agreements. Each move put more pressure on the U.S. to reevaluate its relationship with Saudi Arabia.

On January 4, 2023, Ambassador Qin Gang, Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, published an article on The Washington Post. The following is the full text as posted on the website of the Chinese Embassy in the United States. On Dec 31, 2022, Qin, 56, was appointed the new foreign minister, replacing Wang Yi. Qin was named China's ambassador to the U.S. in 2021.

The notion of decoupling has lost steam across Europe, though some countries are still looking to reduce their dependence on China. How Europe chooses to balance cooperation with competition will be the key as the two sides cooperate in areas of shared interest.

At second U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in December, the American side made a general point of avoiding talk about China, even though the subject came up here and there. African leaders would not likely want to be seen as geopolitical pawns.

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.