There are many imperfections and contradictions in the latest NSS. It’s hard enough to promote fairness and justice in the world, so how does one balance a strategy that puts U.S. interests and the well-being of Americans ahead of everyone else?

America may not be able to block China’s core momentum in the manufacture of high-end semiconductors, even with its suppressive CHIPS Act. Rather, the global semiconductor industry will inevitably divide into two parallel, competing systems.

Major-country relations are changing dramatically. Chinese academics and political leaders should conduct an in-depth analysis of what China faces. The United States has already started a new Cold War in regional and global industrial chains.

In dealing with China, zero-sum mindset and "political correctness" is misleading and dangerous.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi became the highest ranking American government official to visit Taiwan in decades - raising the temperature of the already-tense Taiwan Strait. The current situation reflects not only a history of conflict, but also China’s concerns about U.S. influence in its backyard.

It is counterproductive to set China and the ‘West’ up as rivals locked in an existential struggle over values. In light of the increasingly polarized views of the East and the West, it is crucial to steer clear of political absolutism to have a more truthful understanding and practical progress on a range of issues such as policy, education, health, etc.

Recent events in the Taiwan Strait have led to an outpouring of international concern regarding potential war between the United States and China. AI technology advancements, which these two superpowers are leaders in research, resources, and patents, would mean that the world has yet to see the most AI-driven conflict in history.

At this year’s Aspen Security Forum (which I co-chair) in July, China’s ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, appealed for better understanding of his country. But there was considerable debate among the assembled experts about China’s objectives. President Xi Jinping has announced China’s intention to outpace America in critical technologies such as artificial intelligence and synthetic biology by 2030, and many analysts predict that China’s GDP (measured at market exchange rates) will surpass that of the US early in the next decade. Is China seeking to displace the US as the world’s leading power by the centenary of communist rule in 2049?

The dominant narrative on the Chinese side is that this strategic competition between the two countries reflects the struggles for power, institutions, and perceptions, which will last throughout the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In general, it is thus believed that competition and struggle have been adopted as key words for both Washington and Beijing in managing their relations.

The U.S. secretary of state restated and reinforced the Biden administration’s approach, proposing an “invest, align, compete” strategy for success over China. The speech revealed significant clues about the features of America’s basic strategic game ahead.