A great deal of America’s public diplomacy can be traced back to the government, so why is there such a stigma about Confucius Institutes?

Twenty-five years on from Hong Kong’s handover to China, the special administrative region undoubtedly still has a role to play still in mediating Sino-American relations.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken should have followed the example of the UN’s top official for human rights by making a visit of his own, instead of blindly repeating the slanders and hype of his predecessor, Mike Pompeo. That would have built Blinken’s image as a responsible diplomat.

The changing demographics of China may seem like an internal issue, but in today’s globalized world, a struggling China would mean the entire planet would suffer.

Antony Blinken may have coined the term “asymmetric decoupling” in his recent speech on the Biden administration’s China policy. The formerly abstract term seems to be the perfect way to describe China’s goal of becoming independent from the West while increasing the West’s dependence on China, a strategy that dates back to Emperor Qianlong’s time.

The crisis in Ukraine has arrested the world’s attention, especially in regards to relations with Russia. In the U.S. this has revealed a multitude of opinions about America’s threats and enemies abroad from other global powers such as China.

China has chosen to accept some short-term pain for the promise of long-term growth and stability. Some people may grumble, but the vast majority support the effort to save lives, a core value that’s deeply embedded in the country’s ethical tradition.

The pandemic continues to cause disruption in society across the world, and despite the seemingly universal desire to end the precautions, China and the U.S. have done little in setting an example for the world to follow.

It's no surprise that America’s lies about genocide in Xinjiang did not recede after the visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The smearing o China’s international image will continue. But the truth will eventually prevail.

While the world is unsure of how the Russia-Ukraine war will end, there are some global scholars and diplomats that help bridge the vast U.S.-China perception gap, illuminating nuanced realities and asking questions that need to be asked.