From the Thucydides trap to the potential for a new Cold War, from strategic rivalry and competitive co-existence to decoupling, scholars and practitioners of international affairs are struggling to understand and describe the current state of the China-U.S. contest. And they are exploring what the future holds for this highly consequential great-power relationship.
In this issue, our commentators from both countries focus on tackling an important question: Does decoupling make sense? They also attempt to figure out how each country might best respond to the new realities.
To provide a global and Chinese context, we also include in this issue an interview with a veteran Chinese diplomat, Ambassador He Yafei.
Some commentators claim that the decoupling process is already underway — in the national security arena, for example. In the commercial field, some degree of decoupling may even be desirable ...