The renewal of high-level Sino-U.S. exchanges along with the approaching American elections has intensified the U.S. debate about an optimal long-term strategy toward China.

The wisdom in China’s major-country diplomacy serves as a rudder in China-Russia relations. It is also the anchor that stabilizes relations with others, including the United States and European Union.

The international system seems unable to curb hegemonism and Cold War thinking, but China-Russia strategic coordination can mark a new path. As the two nations achieve win-win cooperation through the “five always” standard, the fundamental interests of the Chinese people will be served in the process.

President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Paris, Belgrade and Budapest illuminated the plight of the European project and exposed the weakness of the call by Josep Borrell, high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, for the EU to be treated as a geopolitical power in its own right.

Although it’s still early, China is referenced heavily in political rhetoric and is a top target of candidates. Washington is suffused with an atmosphere geopolitical contention. Distorted images of China and emerging hawkish policies have undermined goodwill in bilateral relations. China needs to prepare for any outcome in November.

When US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently visited Beijing in an effort to stabilize relations with China, many of the issues that he discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping were highly contentious. For example, Blinken warned China against providing materials and technology to aid Russia in its war against Ukraine, and he objected to China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and harassment of the Philippines (a United States ally). Other disputes concerned interpretations of America’s “one-China” policy toward Taiwan, and US trade and export controls on the flow of technology to China.

Despite its name, the new Washington Consensus has the adverse effect of impeding the formation of real consensus because of its underlying zero-sum mindset. It is simply an instrument for the United States to maintain its hegemony in the world arena, and that is destructive to the international order.

When discussing the global order and China's foreign policy, we must examine how China adapts its foreign policy to changes in the global order. There is a debate on whether we are returning to a Cold War-like situation. Many believe we are, drawing parallels between the current U.S.-China competition and the former U.S.-Soviet rivalry, which shaped the international power structure.

There is an urgent need for China and India to prioritize dialogue, establish baseline agreements, and avoid inflammatory rhetoric to prevent further deterioration in bilateral relations.

The protracted conflict may force the U.S. president to alienate Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu to the point of jeopardizing the special relationship, thereby causing powerful Jewish voters and lobbies to withdraw their support. Other traditional Democratic constituencies, such as Muslim-Americans, may follow suit.