In a recent poll the new U.S. president’s approval among American adults was 59 percent. But on the diplomatic front, and especially on China policy, the administration’s performance has not only been mediocre but is laden with escalating risks of confrontation.

U.S. core national interests are defined by the new administration as safeguarding American strength, promoting power sharing to U.S. advantage and upholding a stable and open international system.

The deterioration of China-U.S. relations has not ended, and a turnaround is unlikely. Given the intense frictions of recent years, both countries have built up a fixed mindset about diplomatic strategy that has been incorporated in their domestic politics. Superb diplomatic skills will be needed to avert confrontation.

Reflecting on the recent meeting in Alaska between China and the United States, one might be tempted to worry about the tough U.S. posturing. Closer examination, however, suggests it was just political theater staged for the media and domestic observers.

The new U.S. president will want to invest hard strategic resources in the Asia-Pacific region, which will require the use of diplomatic and economic measures to maintain its strategic presence in the Middle East. The arrangement looks reasonable, but it is doomed to fail.

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.

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.

The new U.S. president is relying is his political memory as he approaches relations with Europe. But the world no longer matches the memories. He will face significant new hurdles. Donald Trump made structural changes that will not be easy to undo.

China bashing has become a new form of political correctness in the United States. Despite Biden’s rhetoric, it's not clear that he can do away with Trump’s toxic legacy and rebuild the political and social basis of China-U.S. relations.

The coronavirus crisis will eventually be a thing of the past, but in the post-COVID era, serious questions remain. What kind of human rights and what international moral standard serves humanity best?