The choice is clear: China and the United States can either find ways to make things tolerable or simply capitulated to ever-worsening relations and consequences that go beyond our imagination at the moment.

There is a clear continuity and consistency in China's policy toward the United States.

Innovation and further opening-up are the antidote to technological suppression by the United States. The difficulties it imposes are real, but they are temporary and surmountable. They only inspire us.

There is no bilateral diplomatic relationship more consequential than the one between the United States and China, which affects not only the two countries but all of humanity. And now, the future of this relationship hinges on who will lead each country in the years ahead.

China’s steady hand seems to have won the respect of the Trump administration and encouraged it to stay on track with the phase one trade deal. The talks on Aug. 25 were a rare positive note in overall relations between the two nations.

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.

The future of U.S.-China relations remains uncertain, and the upcoming U.S. Presidential elections have the opportunity to fray relations further. Between territorial disputes and cyberwarfare, there are a range of issues on which the two nations must set parameters in order to maintain peace and stability.

Brent Scowcroft, an influential figure in U.S.-China relations, recalled the crisis of the early 1980s in his memoir and advised that the two countries should “at least keep open a door.” This should not be dismissed as nostalgia diplomacy. It’s more relevant than ever.

The US-China relationship has become characterized by tit-for-tat responses. In these hypercritical times, asymmetrical responses may be the only way to get these two countries back to the business of cooperative, civil relations.

China and America’s visions seem to be increasingly at odds. If the two countries cannot realign and regain mutual trust, both nations, as well as the rest of the world, are sure to suffer.