The Russo-Ukraine conflict has raged on and looks to continue into the near future, straining relations in Europe. The ripple effects of military conflict involving a pronounced foe of the United States has created an even more tense climate on a global stage that already sees U.S.-China relations declining at an alarming rate.

As a former U.S. colonial subject, the Philippines has retained close cultural and official ties to Washington. The new Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has shown that he intends to deviate from his predecessor’s distancing from the United States by rebuilding relations with the West while simultaneously drawing closer to Asian nations - including China.

China and Japan have deepened their economic interdependence, but they have a long way to go in building political trust, especially in the security realm. The two countries should get beyond the old concept that starts with military deterrence. It is no longer productive.

Major-country relations are changing dramatically. Chinese academics and political leaders should conduct an in-depth analysis of what China faces. The United States has already started a new Cold War in regional and global industrial chains.

Washington’s initiatives are being pitched as an “alternative to China,” as they divide developing countries and solidify U.S. control. The IPEF may compete with ASEAN, raising questions about the bloc’s centrality.

Held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the summit — a milestone in the 26-year-old Shanghai process — came during turbulent times. The world’s political, economic and security situation is in flux, but it is certain that the summit will open a new stage of development for the Belt and Road Initiative.

In dealing with China, zero-sum mindset and "political correctness" is misleading and dangerous.

China’s rise to economic hegemony is the story that may define the 21st Century. Yet no tale is complete without a formidable challenge to overcome, and the tumultuous 2020s may derail China’s skyrocketing growth in a major way.

Relations with Central Asian countries have long been a significant part of China’s international diplomacy. And Chinese leader Xi Jinping recently traveled to the region to advance diplomatic relations, participate in the Samarkand Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and promote the development of the SCO.

Xi and Putin vow to "inject stability into a turbulent world."