Until a strategy is set, there will continue to be confused and conflicting messages from different quarters of the United States government on China, disagreement and sloppiness on proper sequencing of actions, and limits to our ability to elicit Chinese cooperation, as Beijing hesitates to commit to U.S. initiatives because of uncertainty over the steadfastness and coherence of U.S. policy. As the administration charts next steps with China, it should widen the aperture of its focus.

On August 2, U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law the “Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.” With Trump-Putin relations agitated and China and the U.S. still lacking cooperation on the issue of North Korea, who will be the biggest loser amidst the superpowers? Who will benefit from the sanctions?

At the state level, Governor of Michigan Rick Snyder has invested energy, attention, and travel time into cultivating lasting and productive relationships with Chinese government and business leaders. His efforts have produced extensive economic benefits for his state and region; providing a blue print for the combative President Trump on how American leaders can turn a positive relationship with China into big wins at home. 

Throughout his time in the political spotlight, Donald Trump has raised eyebrows with boisterous speeches and absurd statements, causing many to question his mental capacity to lead. But, while his opponents at home and abroad decry his antics as insanity, could President Trump actually be executing a specific policy strategy?

China-U.S. relations should not be confined by the so-called “trade balance.” Their relations should go beyond the 100-day action plan, and they should reassess and redefine the “economic balance.” By doing so, it will help lift China-U.S. economic cooperation and trade onto the track of “win-win” and sustainable development. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks Wednesday during a campaign rally in Miami. (EVAN VUCCI, ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The U.S. House of Representative passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a provision that allows for mutual stationing by military vessels between the United States and Taiwan. The President should veto the Act in the interest of smoothing the development of China-U.S. relations along with his own foreign policy agenda.

The “America First” doctrine and its capricious approach have not only caused dissatisfaction and opposition from allies, but also prompted them to reconsider their relations with the US, thus leading to a growing divide. In short, the global pattern is undergoing tremendous changes, in an era full of risks but also opportunities.

Outsourcing the North Korea issue to China has never worked, and it is less likely to work this time. There is no doubt that China's cooperation and coordination is important and perhaps indispensable, but the ongoing rising tension is making the totally unwanted bombing option only more likely unless Trump gets more creative.

Two major American car manufacturers, Ford Motor Company and Tesla, are moving ahead with plans in China that seem a direct challenge to President Donald Trump’s crusade to keep American manufacturing jobs in the U.S. Surprisingly, the companies seem to have met little resistance from the administration thus far.

China has reaffirmed its schedule to launch the world’s largest “cap-and-trade” market for carbon emission permits in 2017. This national carbon market is expected to lower the cost of emission reduction, as China strives to fulfill its Paris pledge of peaking carbon emission by 2030.