Interwoven interests with the United States are a Gordian knot that cannot be cut without doing serious harm. Alarm bells are ringing in Washington.

At a time when political tensions reach more dire straits seemingly by the day, the history of scientific cooperation in the field of astronomy have shown that above all, all people share a single home as citizens of Earth.

Decoupling serves neither China nor the United States. Instead, it would impose grave economic costs on both countries at best and threatens a calamitous military clash at worst.

Judging from the rhetoric of both Biden and Trump campaign ads, neither candidate has plans for a smooth relationship with China. From Beijing’s perspective, this election will show what type of confrontation to expect over the next four years.

Regardless who wins the 2020 presidential election in the United States, the China-U.S. relationship may not change much. While the rhetoric may cloak the matter in terms of values and ideology, the bottom line is competition between the dollar and the yuan.

Regardless who becomes the next president of the United States, a friendly and cooperative China policy should be his only choice. Confrontation produces no winners.

China and the United States identify areas of common interest and establish a reference framework for adjustments to bilateral ties. This is exactly the right place to focus additional effort.

China and the United States have long seen technology as both a sign of hope and a reason to worry. The impact of recent U.S. escalations against China remain to be seen.

If Democrats take power in Washington, the wind for U.S. relations with China will likely start blowing in a much more favorable direction. China should trim its sails and seize the opportunity.

The choice is clear: China and the United States can either find ways to make things tolerable or simply capitulated to ever-worsening relations and consequences that go beyond our imagination at the moment.