There is no need for China to overreact to the latest strategy report, but it needs to be prepared for pressure from the United States, which will likely focus on the Indo-Pacific region for decades to come.

With the Winter Olympics bringing the world’s eyes to China, it seems that the stage is set for a major year of confrontation between rising China and the U.S., competing with rival benefit packages to draw third-parties away from their opponent.

The strategic benefit for China and Russia to maintain good relations has never been more apparent. A successful Sino-Russian foreign policy push in Ukraine and Taiwan would certainly shock the U.S. and Europe.

The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework proposed by the United States should blend with existing regional free trade arrangements, which are already well-developed. A quick look at the numbers shows there’s no advantage to leaving out Asia’s trade behemoth.

This extremely difficult period could have included a terrible recession. Instead, we have seen growth around the world. Wealth is being created on a daily basis. What we need is better distribution wealth so that people have happier lives.

The main deficit on the geopolitical ledger is mutual strategic distrust. If this cannot be overcome, the world will be condemned — like Sisyphus in Greek mythology — to roll the boulder of a contentious U.S.-China relationship uphill for eternity.

There are and will continue to be differences between China and the United States. This is typical of humans, as any family knows. But the world needs China and the United States to be working together, marshaling and complementing their respective strengths.

I strongly believe it is time for the trade war between the U.S. and China to be placed in abeyance. With inflation increasing in the U.S. and with the growth of China’s domestic consumption slowing, I am sure the will must be there on both sides.

Half a century ago this month, Chinese leaders received Richard Nixon on a historic visit that ended two decades of estrangement between China and the U.S. The visit has been rightly hailed as an example of diplomacy and statesmanship at their best.

The visions of Xi Jinping and Joe Biden clearly spell out two trajectories - one of ascendance and the other fighting to retain fading power and influence.