Recent high-level talks in Switzerland between China and the United States have laid a basis for continuing dialogue, leading to a joint agreement for Presidents Biden and Xi Jinping to hold a virtual summit before the year’s end.

As US President Joe Biden’s administration implements its strategy of great power competition with China, analysts seek historical metaphors to explain the deepening rivalry. But while many invoke the onset of the Cold War, a more worrisome historical metaphor is the start of World War I. In 1914, all the great powers expected a short third Balkan War. Instead, as the British historian Christopher Clark has shown, they sleepwalked into a conflagration that lasted four years, destroyed four empires, and killed millions.

One positive outcome is that the two presidents, Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, will hold a videoconference before the end of the year. But there have been a number of other good signs elsewhere as well. Bilateral ties have not continued deteriorating but are showing signs of a gradual thaw.

While the release of Meng Wanzhou to China and Michael Spavor and Michael Korvig to Canada gives cause to celebrate, the underlying reasons that led to their detainments must be analyzed.

As the United States redistributes resources in response to complex dynamics with regard to China, its approach is likely to be an evolutionary, full-spectrum endeavor that goes beyond the military alone. It’s a posture that will be difficult to maintain and one that could even create chaos.

The sordid tale of a Huawei executive — held hostage in Canada under pressure from the United States — ends with a whimper, not a bang. And the world is worse off for it. Yet the aimless machinations of a wayward superpower continue.

A three-tier diplomatic architecture is needed under which leaders at the top level can break the ice and remove roadblocks for those below. While there are some grounds for concern of a possible bilateral breakup, this cannot be allowed to happen. There is safety in clarity.

The release could serve to ease the tense relations with Beijing.

Growing tensions between China and the U.S. are nothing new, but the consequences of geopolitical exclusivity continue to compound. No country wants to be forced to choose between the first and second largest economy in the world.

Though the climate of international relations makes it feel like conflict could erupt at any minute, the complex ties and reliance the two nations have on each other make it an even messier affair.