The volatility of Donald Trump’s administration has added to the uncertainties in China-US relations. Circumstances present both opportunities and challenges.

Trump should be wary of two major traps that history has set for him - the “Thucydides Trap", as well as the “Kindleberger Trap”: a China that seems too weak rather than too strong.

China’s role in global governance rests ultimately on its achievements in domestic governance: A government that is capable of effectively managing a country of 1.3 billion will certainly set an example for others to follow. By pursuing step-by-step reform of the system, rather than destroying it and replacing it with a brand-new one, and by providing continuity in the globalization process, China can help the world avoid pitfalls of the past.

From the time President Obama assumed office in 2009 to the present, positive U.S.-China relations have been vital to the two countries and to the world at large. Forty-four years after establishing diplomatic relations, the world’s two greatest economic powers have forged unprecedentedly close ties. Unsurprisingly, the current relationship reflects varying degrees of cooperation as well as competition.

China believes that it can cultivate a relationship with the U.S. based on peaceful co-existence. However, the South China Sea is proving a collision point between U.S. hegemony and Chinese interests in safeguarding its own security and development.

As China’s permanent neighbor and the U.S.’ long-time ally, the Philippines has a unique role mediating between the U.S. and China in the South China Sea. However, if the Philippines fail’s to improve its current political relations with China, while continuously enhancing its defense alliance with the U.S., the Philippines can become a catalyst for the proverbial “Thucydides trap.”

On 19 March, when attending the China Development Forum 2016 at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, former State Councilor Dai Bingguo had a dialogue with former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on the issue of avoiding the "Thucydides Trap".

Hawks today see the U.S. as withdrawn, docile, and weak by choice. They see China as aggressively violating norms and threatening American leadership. Yet any action would wrongfully assume the differing Chinese expectations of honor, history, and geography.

The official American statement on adhering to one-China principle and hope for peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits helped mitigate suspicions in China and further testified to the US strategic plan to compete with China mainly in the economic field. This will help the two countries to sustain competitive cooperation and for China to readjust and reform its domestic policies.

China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative would create multiple economic corridors encompassing more than 60 countries Asia, North Africa and East Africa, linking the most dynamic East Asia Economic Zone with the advanced European Economic Zone. Intraregional free trade and infrastructure funding will enable more efficient circulation of currency and culture.