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.

Bob Holden talks about finding common ground with the Chinese.

Beginning the year with a drastic restructuring of the Constitution, the Chinese Communist Party under President Xi appeared increasingly formidable. But in the face of domestic scandals, currency concerns, and a trade war with the U.S., Minxin Pei argues that President Xi may need a new strategy to satisfy the Chinese people.

Four obstacles may yet derail China’s Belt and Road.

The world has seen enough great power conflict.

American paranoia at China’s so-called “sharp power” is at odds with China’s far more limited cultural influence globally compared to the US’.

The U.S. and China can hitch their dreams together and build a higher level of confidence with each other.

Observing the changing dynamics in the United States and elsewhere in the world, the unsettling question is: Will the United States follow the experience of centralized Confucian power—and by default the Communist Party of China (CPC)—to create a Hamiltonian world for Hamiltonians?

As the TPP trade pact fizzles away, China would happily expand its domain of influence in the Pacific Rim region while U.S. allies and friends inevitably look for a more reliable partner in the neighborhood. As these geopolitical realities set in, will Trump’s campaign promises to “Make America Great Again” eventually result in “Making China Great Again” and leave the U.S. much less relevant?