The U.S. and China conduct hundreds of billions of dollars worth of trade with each other, yet they remain at odds in the political arena. Although each government can claim their grievances, business operators have more to gain with more open communication.

The road for Washington and Beijing will continue to be treacherous. Biden’s geopolitical objectives on trade do not portend glorious days of sunshine, but thunderstorms. The trade war is not on its way out but will likely rise again in a different form.

Tesla has had an exciting entrance into China, but the future of the electric vehicle company will be determined by how China and the United States prioritize the industry.

Chinese and U.S. interests are profoundly intertwined. Some 85 percent of the members of the American Chamber of Commerce in China have no plan to relocate. In fact, most plan to increase their investment, highlighting the importance of China-U.S. cooperation.

A change in tone Washington’s tone could not be made more obvious - by appointing Katherine Tai to lead U.S.-China trade negotiations, the days of Trump and Mike Pompeo’s belligerent trade policy are over.

The incoming Biden administration in the United States is unlikely to bring wholesale change to China-U.S. relations, especially in the realm of sci-tech. While some frictions will ease, Biden will attempt to patch up relations with America’s European allies to constrain China.

The phase one trade deal between China and the United States got a new lease on life, at least temporarily, by an online dialogue of senior officials. Now, action is needed on both sides to prevent a new meltdown.

China and the United States need to jointly map the way forward to eliminate as much ambiguity as possible. Proper framing of the issues can serve to avoid biased interpretations and lead to common ground.

The trade deal has been signed, but recent factors, like the novel coronavirus, make it challenging for China to meet its trade requirements. Instead of moving forward, the US-China relationship has moved sideways.

The road to trade peace is treacherous, especially since most of the obligations under phase one are one-sided and place China at a disadvantage. But tariffs are becoming less useful as leverage for the United States in the face of Chinese economic resilience.