After a 40 plus year run, the U.S.-China relationship has come to the proverbial fork in the road. Which way will America go?

Comments about Xinjiang should be based on reality, but unfortunately in the West they are not. Anti-China voices, led by the United States, are getting a level of attention that is far out of proportion to their credibility. The truth is easily established for fair-minded people.

China has its own reasons for strategic cooperation with Iran, and undermining the United States is not one of them. It is true, however, that Iran wants the U.S. to lift all sanctions, and the U.S. has signaled that it may be ready to concede.

Both countries know that confrontation only leads to a dead end in the long run. A mix of cooperation and competition remains the norm that has worked for both countries in the past. But it’s difficult to strike a balance, and competition is likely to overwhelm cooperation, as it always has.

There’s a long list of worthwhile possibilities in the military and security fields, and it’s of utmost importance that the two countries engage with one another. The result of failure could be catastrophic.

The Quad’s loose confederation of democratic, U.S.-backed states in Asia and Australia was meant to stand-up to China’s economic might, but it may have presented China with ample motivation to fight tooth-and-nail for recognition.

When two highly motivated powers compete for influence, its defenders prepare for the worst - full blown military conflict. The cost of deadly conflict must weigh heavily on the minds of national leaders before they take their next steps.

The Quad Security Dialogue will not get far, mainly because three of its members don’t want to compromise relations with China. The dialogue will likely focus on form over content and symbolism over substance. It will do little to shape Indo-Pacific geopolitics.

The Quad, a revitalized clique of democratic nations surrounding China, has been criticized by Chinese as a thinly-veiled ploy to contain its growth. It could prove to be a formidable obstacle, if the U.S. maneuvers correctly.

A complete reassessment of Washington’s stance on territorial disputes in the East and South China Sea is long overdue. Implied obligations and strategic ambiguity only increases risks for all parties.