The entire democratic system in the U.S. has been set up with the goal of defending minority rights. But in China, most people don’t see minority and majority interests as inherently in conflict, nor a need for minorities to separate themselves from the larger group.

There is no such thing as a universal formula for economic and political success. China’s way of pragmatic governance with an authoritarian market economy that doesn’t call for democracy has been widely debated and increasingly recognized as having merits that could enrich the philosophy of global governance.

In 2014, more than 300,000 Chinese students are enrolled in colleges and universities in the U.S., while only 25,000 American college students studied in China that same year. The US-China Strong Foundation is expanding its mission to increase the number and diversity of U.S. students studying in China and learning Chinese so that future generations manage the bilateral relationship smartly and effectively.

The global war on terror, now almost a generation old, will never be won with treacherous allies, such as jihadist rebels and Islamist rulers. Rather, stemming the spread of the Islamist ideology, which has fostered “jihad factories” and threatens the security of countries as diverse as the U.S. and China, holds the key to containing terrorism.

Sport may emerge as one of those solutions that foster inter-cultural understanding between China and Central Asian states without being vigorously criticized for hidden political agendas. Sport has the potential to transcend socially constructed borders and divisions because it embodies a universal medium of communication.

In the wake of the deadly shooting in an Orlando gay club, nearly 200 Chinese LGBT groups issued an unforeseen joint statement as a tribute to the victims, a expression of grief, and to send a strong message to the general public in China on LGBT violence. Despite enormous progress in the past two decades, LGBT groups still face discrimination, and are fighting to push legislation to give individuals more protection under the law.

Compared with trade and the military, people–to-people exchanges are less costly but cover wider and broader areas and scales with more players participating in it. The result is not only an exchange of culture but a boost for production, management and distribution of public goods such as shared values, common languages and collective identities.

China will not allow Taiwan, which has historically been part of China, to break away. This is a permanent red line for China. Some far-sighted people in the US have called for adjusting the US’ Taiwan policy, abolish the Taiwan Relations Act and the “six assurances” to herald a fully normal and healthy bilateral relationship with China, and this should happen sooner rather than later.

The more the U.S. emphasizes “rebalance”, the more we see that the most awkward balance is between White House and Congress, between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, and between U.S. allies and China. A US House resolution that offers tacit support to Taiwan independence was a strategic error that should be corrected for the sake of all sides.

All indications are that Taiwan’s new leader and the governing apparatus around her are half-hearted about the 1992 Consensus and strengthening cross-Strait relations. Her inaugural speech reflects not American-style candor but Japanese-style victimhood, and does not offer a viable way forward. A period of uncertainty and unpleasant surprises in cross-Strait relations lies ahead.