The Trump administration’s rash policies, combined with China’s persistent rise, have combined to grow Chinese influence and shrink the US footprint in the Asia-Pacific. But China must be sure to respect the interests of ASEAN countries and other regional stakeholders in crafting the norms and procedures for a new rules-based order in the region.

The China-US trade war is putting tremendous strain on the Chinese economy. But if policymakers act wisely, they can leverage this external pressure to expedite key reforms — restructuring China’s economy to emphasize innovation and thus move upstream in the global value chain, while expanding free trade agreements abroad.

The recent crisis in Venezuela showed diverging Chinese and American attitudes towards global governance: China’s longstanding commitment to non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs, and rejection of military force as a tool of diplomacy; contrasted with the Trump administration’s response, that displayed America’s penchant for interventionism backed up by the US military.

While China’s Belt and Road Initiative offers a solution to problems that require international assistance to address, this is not Beijing’s altruism at work. The BRI is still a money-making investment and an opportunity for China to increase its connectivity throughout the globe.

China-US relations are entering a new stage of flux. We should remember that history shows how restraint and flexibility can allow the two giants to navigate around tensions in their complex relationship.

For the West, the year 2008 marked the beginning of a difficult period of crisis, recession, and uneven recovery. For China, 2008 was also an important turning point, but one followed by a decade of rapid progress that few could have foreseen.

In Washington, DC, a bipartisan consensus about China has emerged: the United States is facing a trade-manipulating, authoritarian intellectual-property thief that represents a strategic threat to the US and its allies and deserves to be punished. But the consensus is wrong. In fact, China deserves recognition, if not appreciation, for its achievements.

In Washington, DC, a bipartisan consensus about China has emerged: the United States is facing a trade-manipulating, authoritarian intellectual-property thief that represents a strategic threat to the US and its allies and deserves to be punished. But the consensus is wrong. In fact, China deserves recognition, if not appreciation, for its achievements.

Deng Xiaoping’s inability to truly liberalize China has imposed enduring costs on the country. Four decades after initiating economic reform, China finds itself at a crossroads, with its future trajectory uncertain.

James Chau sits down with David Lampton is Oksenberg-Rohlen Fellow at Stanford University and Director of SAIS-China at Johns Hopkins University, to discuss the threats and opportunities associated with China’s rise.