China is methodically strengthening its global position through diplomacy with Europe, soft-power engagement toward Taiwan, and long-term economic and energy preparation in the Middle East while presenting itself as a stabilizing force amid global instability. Recent crises, from Taiwan tensions to the Hormuz disruption, reflect a broader shift toward a more multipolar world in which Beijing benefits from strategic patience and the gradual erosion of unquestioned U.S. influence.

Donald Trump’s approval rating has dropped to 34 percent among the American people, the lowest level of his second term. Given the U.S. war against Iran, the growing internal divisions within his administration and the rising inflationary pressure at home, Trump now has juggle a lot at once.

Labeling China as part of an “Axis of Chaos” misrepresents its strategy by overstating its alignment with other U.S. adversaries and wrongly implying that it seeks global instability. China’s power and the challenge it poses to the United States instead stem primarily from its deep integration and central role in the global economy, not from fostering chaos or acting as part of a unified anti-U.S. bloc.

The U.S. faces a growing strategic risk from a shrinking pool of China experts, weakening its ability to manage intensifying competition with China. Efforts to limit engagement for security reasons may deepen this problem by reducing understanding, underscoring the need for targeted, security-conscious investment in expertise.

Key U.S. allies in Europe, North America, and Asia are increasingly courting China or hedging toward it in response to growing uncertainty and unilateralism in American foreign policy under Donald Trump. This shift reflects a broader recalibration toward strategic autonomy and multipolarity, as allies seek to diversify partnerships, reduce dependence on the U.S., and manage both the risks and opportunities posed by China’s rise.

When Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump meet in Beijing on May 14-15, both are looking to stabilize the volatile and fraught U.S.-China relationship. Significant and diverse differences between the two sides will endure long beyond the summit meeting, but overall stabilization and progress on ten specific policy areas is achievable.

The current U.S. policy toward Southeast Asia is generating a range of negative effects. If the United States fails to adjust its competitive, confrontational and self-serving foreign policy, its influence in the region is likely to face further decline.

Unfiltered, people-to-people interactions reveal the human complexity behind international relations and challenge simplistic “us vs. them” narratives. These everyday cross-cultural exchanges, including those through digital media like streamers’ travels, can reduce hostility and reshape how younger generations perceive countries like China and the United States.

Trump’s foreign policy setbacks, particularly with Iran, have complicated his diplomatic agenda and delayed a key summit with China, though both sides remain motivated by domestic and strategic incentives to pursue limited, pragmatic agreements. However, any cooperation will likely focus on narrow, short-term gains, as deep structural rivalry and mutual distrust continue to constrain meaningful long-term rapprochement.

For the United States and China, the very concept of a rules-based international order, once a topic of agreement, has turned into disagreement. That is the current distorted reality in their relationship. It is not only power that is at stake but the meaning of order itself.