The virtual summit between presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden began on a friendly note. But one can predict that the relationship between China and the United States may not go so smoothly in the future. There are likely to be storms and difficult struggles.

This week’s much-anticipated meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden offers welcome relief for a world nervously watching where the 21st century’s most consequential relationship is headed.

Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping meets in a virtual summit Monday evening.

The famously bombastic Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has managed to carve out a working relationship with China despite ongoing maritime disputes between the two. His leadership, as well as the economic benefits of maintaining friendly ties with China, are on the line when the Philippines elects its next president this fall.

China’s deepening ties to Africa has shaken up the status quo, with positive and negative outcomes rippling across the planet. What does the rapid development of Africa and China hold for the future?

Oddly, President Biden has claimed on several occasions that he hoped competition with China would not veer into conflict. But Washington-style competition means a race to the bottom — and possible peril.

A major question with respect to China-U.S. relation has not been answered since it was first raised a few years ago: What are they fighting for? If this cannot be answered to the satisfaction of reasonable people, shouldn’t they just sit down and get on with pragmatic dialogue?

Worries by the United States that China will take over its leadership role are based on a serious strategic misunderstanding. The road ahead for the international power structure as it shifts to a multipolar pattern may be long and difficult, but the prospects are promising.

Both sides seem to realize that a paradigm shift in bilateral ties is inevitable and underway. And if it’s not controlled — if it slides toward confrontation — neither party will be served. It should be a footrace, not a wrestling match, President Xi Jinping wisely said.

The international body should not be turned into a theater of war in America’s competition against China, yet that is what the U.S. is doing. This will only undermine the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and trigger bloc confrontation similar to the Cold War.