Trade war benefits no one.

China has better prospects than the US in a long-term trade war.

This Monday, the Chinese government released blueprints to connect the economies and infrastructure of the Greater Bay Area, which includes the semiautonomous regions of Hong Kong and Macau and 9 other Guangzhou cities— one of which is Shenzhen, home to Huawei and Tencent. The goal is to create a cluster of cities concentrated in innovation and technology that could rival places like Silicon Valley or New York by 2035.

Despite the pause in the US-China trade war, the US and China are strategic competitors, and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. China realizes that there is little room to settle long-term disputes and, as a result has shifted towards a strategy that focuses on sustaining growth at any cost, expanding alliances, and advancing its technology.

As China’s engagement in Africa increases, critics raise questions about loan terms, as well as its impact on governance and business standards. Still, Chinese analysts and policymakers argue that China will provide much needed development for the continent: a pathway to stability and improved quality of life.

A Chinese mine in Morococha. Peru brings into focus some of the challenges that come with China’s vision of expanding its global investments.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative has come under fire for its white elephant projects – ‘never-to-be-recovered’ infrastructure projects that provide little value to recipient states. Rather, infrastructure investments have to be focused on quality and impact rather than mere quantity and volume – otherwise, the impacts of such investments will be marginal.

China must perform a difficult balancing act.

Though China forged a new economic relationship with Venezuela under Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, the PRC’s continued presence is almost guaranteed through the need for Venezuelan oil.

The Chinese economy is still going strong, though some changes are in order.