Restore normal diplomatic exchanges, avoid war and strengthen economic ties — these are at the top of the list. It’s clear that trade is increasing, not decreasing, and we should continue developing scientific and technological exchanges. While competition is inevitable, war is not.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. shares a party and similar voting base as his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, but the new Philippine president brings forth a more Western-biased foreign policy that will surely cause tensions to rise in the South China Sea region.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met on July 9 at a G-20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Bali, Indonesia. They held lengthy discussions—but all subsequent indications suggest that no substantive progress was made on each sides’ concerns. Nonetheless, some consolation can be taken that such an exchange occurred at all.

The abusive use of alliances in the region will only hurt. Judging from history and current reality, peace will not flower with a China of 1.4 billion people trapped in stagnation, nor will it help to foster hostile interactions with its neighbors.

Can the U.S. president accomplish his goals during his Middle East trip? Oil is the top priority, but the chance of success is perhaps 50 percent. Shaping an anti-Russia coalition won’t happen. Yet, Israel does offer some relatively low-hanging fruit.

From the Chinese perspective, the future international order is likely to see both continuity and change. Despite its flaws, it is better than any alternative. It’s time for world leaders to wake up and work together to defend and improve the system.

Pacific Island countries can benefit from both China and the United States, so their best choice is to cooperate with both. The new alignment will not disturb friendly relations between China and the islands.

Competition with the United States has become a catalyst for change in the way China deals with countries in its own neighborhood. A sophisticated approach in Asia will be required as China balances all its interactions.

The U.S. has long suspected that China might be secretly building a naval facility in Cambodia for the exclusive use of its military. Hypersensitive, it is on high alert for what it sees as China’s global ambitions.

At the recent meeting in Luxembourg between China and the United States, the PRC emphasized two bedrock interests — Taiwan and the broader Asia-Pacific. America has been shifting its approach on both fronts. If it does not dial back its confrontational attitude, prosperity and peace in the region will not be attained.