I don’t know if it’s by accident or design but the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, and the G-20 Summit that preceded it in Rome, were scheduled around Halloween and the Day of the Dead. Most governments seem afraid to face the existential challenge of climate change and are more spooked by an army of highly-paid lobbyists than by an infinitely more powerful Mother Nature. At the same time, however, promising innovations coming from NGOs and a core of socially responsible companies offer a slim glimmer of sunshine amidst the gloom.

China’s “two lists” and “three bottom lines” clearly lay out China’s basic interests. If the United States truly wants to compete responsibly, it must respect China’s interests and understand its concerns. Only this approach can avoid a slide into conflict.

Experts give their recommendations about how to move forward in the fight against COVID-19. Step 1: China and the United States should shelve their disputes and lead global cooperation.

East Asia’s underlying regional identity has always emerged in moments of crisis. The current pandemic provides an opportunity to more formally develop the mechanisms of community.

Can the premier forum for international coordination, survive the turbulence created by the confluence of nationalism and COVID-19? Or will it be relegated to a diminished role? The answer isn’t clear.

Double trouble is headed our way if major countries fail to put aside their geopolitical squabbles and and work together, if only temporarily. The epidemic cannot be ended by one country acting on its own.

It’s time for the world to pull together toward the same goal. Only that will get us through the coronavirus epidemic. Failing to cooperate risks a slide into even deeper crises.

The China-US reconciliation at the Osaka G20 Summit grants opportunities for a new trade deal to stabilize the global economy. However, if protectionism, populism, and international tensions go unchecked, the summit’s benefits are likely to be short-lived.

President Trump and President Jinping’s Osaka meeting marks a chance to reboot China-US relations. The two leaders would be wise to capitalize on new and promising opportunities for cooperation over competition.

Tensions between the U.S. and China in the lead up to the G20 summit in Osaka was nothing new, but what is new in this decade is the development of a working relationship between the Chinese and Japanese governments.