Large gaps between ambassador appointments can cause significant challenges for the next diplomat. As the next U.S. ambassador sent to Beijing is determined, they should look to past successes like James Lilley to understand how to engage with China.

When two highly motivated powers compete for influence, its defenders prepare for the worst - full blown military conflict. The cost of deadly conflict must weigh heavily on the minds of national leaders before they take their next steps.

China-U.S. relations will not continue down the path of the Trump regime, nor will they return to the ways of Obama. Instead, the relationship will enter a long-term phase of competitive co-existence characterized by mutual dependence, where common interests will present opportunities for collaboration.

Fifty years after the great thaw in relations between China and the United States, the two have reached a new turning point, with little reason for them to return to conflict and confrontation. A positive outlook seems warranted, although the future remains uncertain. Will relations decline again, or will they stabilize?

In the quest for healthy long-term relations, China and the United States should continue striving to identify their converging interests and work to connect. In the longer term, international relations need to evolve into a new model of self-disciplined compromise, supervision and inclusion.

Regrettably, Joe Biden, the new president of the United States, has failed to pick up on changes in global realities in which American values do not fit for many other countries. The U.S. should work on putting its own house in order and meanwhile mind its own business.

The problems the United States has with China boil down to several basic misunderstandings, starting with the fact that Marxism in China bears little resemblance to outdated Soviet ideology. The CPC should be understood from the perspective of human civilizations and, especially, Chinese civilization.

Prudence and pragmatism should guide China’s approach in the wake of initial talks that featured some hard-nosed rhetoric. Whether the meeting kick-starts new China-U.S. engagement or only serves to maintain — or even heighten — tensions remain to be seen.

The negativity of China-U.S. talks in Alaska risks a further downward spiral and an unhealthy new normal. But it’s an improvement over the Trump era. If the parties keep expectations low and maintain mutual respect, they should be able to replace their free-falling relationship with a more stable one.

In contrast to the hopes of moderate bipartisan voices, Blinken's China vision builds on the Trump-Pompeo unipolarity, at the expense of U.S. business and American people. The semiconductor debacle is a prelude to the future.