Recently published in the National Review, “China Unquarantined” is little more than an unfounded, incendiary cheat-sheet to remind Republicans to stay on message and speak in unison.

The future of China-U.S. relations depends on efforts from both sides. But China needs to do more to communicate that it does not see America in decline, nor does it want a new Cold War.

If the ideas of extreme partisans like Steve Bannon were to come to pass, the world would be a more dangerous place. For the U.S., decoupling would mean a complete reorganization its East Asian industrial chains. This nonsense needs to stop.

There are many factors in play that work against a precipitous break in China-U.S. relations. The current fever of confrontation will break if the two countries adhere to a few bottom-line principles.

As China-U.S. relations spiral downward, a crucial moment has been reached. The next five months will determine whether or not the relationship can be salvaged. If Trump is re-elected, the two countries may slide into irreversible confrontation.

Unlike the Cold War between the West and the USSR, a US-China cold war is unlikely, given the fact that China is heavily integrated in the global economy and that people-to-people exchange remains high.

In a new White House document, the “Strategic Approach to the People’s Republic of China”, the Trump administration accuses the Chinese Communist Party of exploitative economic and military tactics, which the U.S. plans to counter with a wide-range of means.

China-U.S. relations must not be allowed to slide toward a new Cold War or even military conflict. The two countries, and the world at large, have too much to lose. If official cooperation is not achievable, then connections at other levels should take its place.

China is the unambiguous target as the United States shifts away from engagement to pure containment, even though economic logic suggests a more benign path would yield greater benefits.

The pandemic has accelerated the US pushback against China across the military, economic, and communication dimensions to new heights. There are serious risks of a US-China race to the bottom.