Chinese President Xi Jinping’s outreach to the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, could be a game-changer. The call was welcomed by Zelenskyy, who called it “long and meaningful.” As Beijing steps into its role as a global peacemaker, the world is taking notice.

The deepened military relations between China and Russia was inevitable in response to challenges from the West. Conflict does not arise simply over current security considerations. It may be triggered by concerns over the changing international balance of power.

Chinese president’s trip was a positive, good-faith effort to defuse the crisis in Ukraine and prevent bloc confrontations. China wants to maintain international peace and stability while seeking to open up broad new prospects for relations between major powers.

The tattered U.S.-Russia relationship serves as one example of how far a “Cold War” can go when America escalates the situation. And by repeating these same steps with China today, the U.S. might be pushing two of its rivals together - the exact situation that Washington wants to avoid.

America and China have no choice but to engage each other and the nature of their future relationship might be uncertain and even difficult, but will inevitably be close. But while recent diplomatic and leadership moves have indicated that Xi Jinping wants to improve relations with Washington, skeptics warn against believing that the policy of the PRC has changed fundamentally.

The United States lacks the strength and influence to simultaneously contain both China and Russia. As with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, its policies will place it in strategic overdraft and lead to more strategic errors.

There are growing indications that Washington has embraced a new era of great power competition with China, and the recent security documents released by the Pentagon identified China as the most significant threat to America. But without a diplomatic breakthrough between the two nations, it’s possible the superpowers are heading towards a “New Cold War,” which is threatening decades of peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.

The nature of U.S.-China relations have become increasingly polarized since the mid-2010s. It seems like both sides sit on opposite sides of a spectrum, when in reality, both nations exert influence and control over resources and neighbors that could be organized to work well together.

In turbulent times, China remains steadfastly committed to its path of peaceful development. The words of President Xi Jinping and State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi are worthy of thoughtful study.

The U.S. strategic community’s assessment of America’s China policy can make a major difference in bilateral relations. Crises have a double edge: They provide challenges but also opportunities. Whether or not U.S. leaders will listen to the experts remains an open question.