The recent U.S. arms sales decision regarding Taiwan led to a more moderate Chinese government reaction than seen in many previous transactions. The U.S. arms transfers to Taiwan serve multiple purposes and are likely to continue whoever is the leader of the next government in Taipei and in Washington.

“Strategic Patience” has not served the US well as a policy, nor has a collection of unilaterally pursued sanctions, diplomatic pressure, isolation and military deterrence. Even late in a president’s second term, there is an opportunity to shift gears and seek a new approach.

Despite disorder in the world, China and the US are finding ways to minimize risks with their armed forces, while counter-terrorism and anti-piracy provide new opportunities for cooperation. While the bilateral relationship is intrinsically volatile and competitive, the two militaries have been remarkably adept at finding common protocols, even in contentious areas like the South China Sea.

China used the World Internet Conference to promote its vision of Internet governance to an international audience and to defend the concept of cyber sovereignty. China will continue to push for multilateral internet governance, rather than multi-stakeholder internet governance, which can include private companies and other groups.

While Moscow-Ankara tensions are in the short-term spotlight, a different bilateral relationship will shape the outcome of Middle East conflicts. Should the militaries of Russia and US cooperate fully, the complete collapse of ISIS could be expected soon, as Russia’s foreign minister recently noted. Such a truly united front in the war on terrorism would be a gratifying achievement on the world stage.

Mutual suspicion between China and the US should be dissolved through dialogue and transparency. If China could brief America of Beijing’s reclamation moves beforehand in the future, and the US would abandon its approach of microphone diplomacy, accidents like the 2001 air collision and future conflict should be avoided in both countries’ interest.

As big powers, China and the United States need to show restraint in cyberspace. The announcements by Apple Pay to partner with China UnionPay and by Microsoft to work with Chinese researchers to develop the Windows 10 operating system are but two instances of growing Sino-US cooperation in the cyber sphere.

Russian relations with NATO have tensed up as a result of Moscow’s intervention and squabble with Turkey, as the US re-weighs its core interests and level of involvement on the ground in the region.

Effective cooperation among all nations to throttle terrorists’ means of fund-raising – particularly oil deals -- is urgently needed in the global war against terrorism. But that short-term goal must be followed by a long-term objective: stability in the Mideast region.

Presently, public sentiment to minimize the risk of terror is on the rise, one of the factors prompting the US to reassess its strategic goals in the Middle East. The result is a more united front in the war against terrorism.