The new U.S. president’s opening moves were generally steady and smooth, and some were successful. But America’s deep-rooted political and social contradictions will act as a constraint during Biden’s presidency.

The U.S. and others should help developing countries solve their problems, rather than using them as a playing field in a geopolitical competition with China. Excessive competition will not lead to the better world that the American president says he seeks.

A new cold war between China and the United States will not look like the one between the U.S. and Soviet Union. It will involve entirely new forms of competition. This is the direction the Biden administration is heading as it seeks to suppress China.

The general mood in the relationship is better than it was toward the end of the frenzied Trump term. But it’s too early to know if a true rebound has occurred. The Biden administration has signaled that it will go even further than Trump when it comes to China policy.

The U.S. position on China has become increasingly antagonistic in recent years, but U.S. pressure is more likely to deepen Chinese hostility than it is to create productive reform.

Three major matters underpin the future of China-U.S. relations. First, there is no such thing as a destiny of doom as presented in the concept of the Thucydides trap. On the contrary, the future of the Sino-U.S. relationship is largely up to both countries to assess, determine and choose.

The United States and China are embroiled in a contest that might prove more enduring, more wide-ranging, and more intense than any other international competi­tion in modern history, including the Cold War. In both countries, fears have grown that the contest might escalate into open conflict.

As the Biden administration heads into the second stage, clear steps are visible: Clear out the negative Trump legacy, tighten global strategy, coordinate with allies to curb China and prioritize climate change in China-U.S. cooperation. Some things differ from Trump; others are the same or expanded.

China and the U.S. share misguided illusions of the other that remain unproductive and even dangerous. Both governments must strive to see each other clearly and cooperate in the face of increasing public hostility.

Using the buzzwords “compete, collaborate, confront” to express the U.S. approach to China is inadequate, as they fail to take nuances into account. In fact, the 3C framework has led to the Chinese view that Biden’s approach is too negative and has only added to the complexity of relations.