International relations should serve domestic economic development and improve the lives of the American people, President Joe Biden said, adding that the U.S. intends to bolster the national interest through diplomatic good offices rather than military means.

In India, the United States finds a South Asian partner that shares grievances with China. However, by viewing India only on the plane of conflict with China, the U.S. lacks a long-term path toward building a productive relationship with the world’s second most populous nation.

By relying on a foreign policy rooted in pragmaticism and innovation, Biden can strengthen alliances and cooperate with a Europe that is increasingly more divided.

New U.S. President Joe Biden is facing a new and different China focused on global rules. It is trying to work with the United States in a mutually beneficial way, but it is preparing for the worst-case scenario. The two countries now have a window of opportunity to usher in a new phase in their relationship.

The Trump administration’s China policy heavily affected the global technology ecosystem by targeting Huawei and creating barriers for the sale and trade of important computer chips. However, by pressuring China and its tech firms, the U.S. incentivized China to pursue a greater degree of self-sufficiency.

The U.S. president’s idea for a summit on democracy is ill-conceived, ill-timed and likely to be ill-fated. Such an event can only distract from solving the challenges posed by the pandemic, the disruptions of extremists and a divided society.

The United States is at a turning point. It can heal the wounds inflicted by Donald Trump on China-U.S. relations if it’s willing to reverse its containment strategy and return to civilized principles.

Biden has hinted that economic policy will be key to his administration’s approach to China. Industrial policy, a return to multilateralism, and coordination with allies will be used to pressure China to implement change in its domestic and international economic practice.

U.S. strategic goals – and the corresponding means of implementing them – will differ considerably under the Biden administration. With Biden’s stated position of willingness to use military force to protect American interests, he may present a challenge to world peace.

The outgoing U.S. president’s attempts to booby-trap his successor’s ability to improve relations with China is troublesome. It will take some time for the new occupant of the White House to stitch things together. But time is not unlimited.