China, Japan, and the U.S. have all swapped places as allies and adversaries of each other. Recent times have brought Japan and the U.S. closer together against a powerful Chinese presence in East Asia.

U.S. core national interests are defined by the new administration as safeguarding American strength, promoting power sharing to U.S. advantage and upholding a stable and open international system.

Although the Biden administration’s approach to strategic competition is quite different from the Trump administration’s, it does not necessarily follow that China–U.S. relations will stabilize and improve.

Legislations aimed at bolstering American competitiveness and new sanctions on Chinese tech companies are fresh signs of intensified tech rivalry between the two powers.

The deterioration of China-U.S. relations has not ended, and a turnaround is unlikely. Given the intense frictions of recent years, both countries have built up a fixed mindset about diplomatic strategy that has been incorporated in their domestic politics. Superb diplomatic skills will be needed to avert confrontation.

Europe needs sustainable China policy, as it currently finds itself in a dilemma. It wants the economic benefits of trade with China, but it is loath to cut ties with the United States, which it needs for markets and security. It a fast-changing world, it needs to find a path forward.

As China-Russia cooperation has strengthened Chinese military might, divergences on some strategic issues between China and powerful countries have continued to widen. The latter’s perceptions of China have been seriously twisted.

Reflecting on the recent meeting in Alaska between China and the United States, one might be tempted to worry about the tough U.S. posturing. Closer examination, however, suggests it was just political theater staged for the media and domestic observers.

The new U.S. president will want to invest hard strategic resources in the Asia-Pacific region, which will require the use of diplomatic and economic measures to maintain its strategic presence in the Middle East. The arrangement looks reasonable, but it is doomed to fail.

The world has entered a new phase, one that presents new implications for the China-U.S. relationship. As time goes on, adjustments will be made, and some quarrels are inevitable. But in the end, a new type of relations will emerge.