The outcome of the 2020 presidential election turned on racial and religious pivot points. And, except for the White House, Republican performance actually improved in many ways.

Before he was US president, Donald Trump built a reality-television persona on the catchphrase, “You’re fired.” Now, the American people have fired him. And Trump’s defeat has also dealt a devastating blow to nationalist populists in Europe and elsewhere. Might it prove lethal?

Over the last four years, the Philippines has proven to be the U.S.’s most cooperative partner in Asia, embodied by famously warm relations between Presidents Donald Trump and Rodrigo Duterte. The Philippines’ close proximity to China and it’s disputed waters makes it an important military ally to the U.S, and with a new President stepping into the White House, Biden and Duterte will have to establish a new diplomatic relationship between the two countries.

The negative policy of the outgoing Republican administration toward China is a colossal failure. “America first” hasn’t worked for anyone, not even America. It is now up to the new administration of Joe Biden, to set things right.

There is good reason to believe that patching up relations in an estranged Europe will be a top priority for the incoming administration of Joe Biden. China needs to adapt intelligently, as the United States is likely to keep the pressure on.

Relations cannot return to the past, but the two countries can move forward to achieve a certain degree of balance. Giving up on the future will serve neither themselves nor the world.

China-U.S. relations can be rebuilt under Joe Biden, but it’s important to be realistic about the domestic forces the newly elected U.S. president will face. Here are five suggestions to get the ball rolling.

The world hopes to see reduced friction between the United States and China in the post-pandemic era. If the next U.S. administration can invest seriously in international cooperation, new paths for joining hands and lifting humanity will emerge.

With the new Biden administration preparing for transition, observers on both sides of the Pacific contemplating what the future will hold for US-China relations. Although there will likely be some adjustments by the new administration, significant substantive changes are not anticipated.

Changes are in the making, from Europe to Iran, from NATO to the WHO, from the Paris climate accord to the Middle East. The new president wants to move rapidly to repair America’s global reputation. But when it comes to China policy, expect him to go slow.