The upcoming presidential election in Taiwan is shaped by both domestic concerns and the U.S.-China struggle over the self-governing island. Key local issues like the economy, energy independence, healthcare, and corruption are dominating the electoral discourse, and whoever wins will play a key role in shaping cross-strait relations—and U.S.-China relations—in 2024 and the years to come.

Artificial intelligence is in its early stage, so it’s hard to accurately predict all its risks and benefits. But a new wave of AI is rapidly approaching. No one can afford to ignore the huge potential benefits of this technology and no one can afford to fall behind in international competition.

The U.S. technology embargo has only energized Chinese scientists and engineers to create domestic alternatives. But it also hampers global innovation and will breed a variety of different — likely incompatible — technological systems and standards. This is a nightmare.

Different goals will determine how China and the United States will engage. Both sides want peace in the Taiwan Strait — which is the first point of consensus and one that should be expanded. The trouble is that the voices for peace are not in the mainstream in the United States.

The compromise reached by U.S. Congress on the military spending bill, allowing the sale of nuclear submarines to Australia as part of AUKUS, signals a significant shift in defense dynamics in the Asia-Pacific. While intended to bolster regional security, the pact faces criticism both within Australia and among neighboring nations, raising concerns about arms races and the sidelining of economic cooperation in the region.

The latest round of the Israel-Hamas conflict has dragged the Israeli-Palestinian issue back to center stage in the Middle East. While China played a positive role in getting Iran and Saudi Arabia to the negotiating table, the violence in Gaza could influence the election prospects of U.S. President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party.

A stalemate on the Ukraine battlefield has settled in, and the U.S. is adjusting its strategy. The new idea is to preserve Ukraine’s territorial integrity while perfecting its war capacity. Instead, it should be isolating Russia politically and economically.

One should not answer the question through the lens of the China-U.S. rivalry. The two have many shared objectives, and from both a moral and national interest perspective, the conflict is a losing proposition — a disaster not only for the people of the Middle East but for all mankind.

The United States and the Philippines are playing a dangerous game of brinksmanship with respect to Huangyan Dao and Ren’ai Jiao. They have already seriously undermined the stability of the region. For its part, China has been restrained, wanting to avoid a slide that would have serious and tragic consequences.

The new frontier of AI may be the most exciting technology in the world, and the most controversial. The need for regulations across cultures and countries could be an opening for the U.S. and China to cooperate for the greater good.