There is lots of room for China-U.S. cooperation, but it won’t happen automatically. A concerted effort by both is needed. The Americans should recognize that China is a trustworthy partner, not a rival, when it comes to Afghan affairs. China, too, will need to change its thinking.

The notion that America can fight and win all over the world has proved false yet again. The display of panic was an embarrassment that undermined the U.S. military’s reputation for making and executing plans. It should have been clear that this war never was winnable.

Everyone hopes to see the world’s two major powers coordinate and support each other in guiding Afghanistan toward the future. They need to come to grips with issues that separate them and present a united front. Together, they should help Afghanistan move on from the chaos of war.

Stability and unity in Afghanistan will facilitate the extension of the Belt and Road Initiative and connect western Asia. China can play a key role in helping the Afghan people embark on a road of national reconstruction and prosperity.

By hastily withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan, US President Joe Biden has made a grave mistake, or so many argue. US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, for example, has called the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country an “even worse sequel to the humiliating fall of Saigon in 1975.” That sequel, top US generals, conservatives, and even some liberals predict, will be characterized by the resurgence of transnational terrorism.

Many challenges lie ahead in China-U.S. relations with regard to Afghanistan. The U.S. will most likely perceive any Chinese policies as an effort to gain the upper hand in geopolitical competition. Meanwhile, China is concerned that the chaos could spill over into Central Asia.

The lack of self-reflection in the United States over the haphazard retreat from Afghanistan is nothing short of stunning. President Joe Biden’s plummeting approval ratings, a fourth wave of the pandemic, inflation and southern border security could combine to wreak havoc for Democrats in the coming midterm elections.

North Korea has presented an issue to both China and the U.S. since the ceasefire halted the Korean War in 1953. Though both nations share common security interests regarding the Hermit Kingdom, the desired outcome may drive a wedge between them.

The withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan is not as much of a game-changer for China as some may think. The Afghan people ferociously defend their sovereignty against foreign incursions, and future complications cannot be ruled out.

How to deal with the fast-moving political changes is a shared challenge for China and the United States. But the Biden administration needs to learn one obvious lesson, and quickly: The world does not work the way America thinks it does.