The stakes for the coming US election have never been higher for America and its place in the world. Whether Trump or Biden secure the win for the US Presidency will determine the course of American foreign policy for the next four years and beyond.

Who will win the ‘hearts and minds’ of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europeans with well-spent investment – Beijing with the Belt and Road, or Washington with the Three Seas Initiative?

New estimates on actual COVID-19 cases in 2020 highlight the stark differences between the Trump administration’s unilateral stance, and China’s multilateral approach to overcoming the pandemic challenge.

At key points in his grand Indo-Pacific tour to drum up regional support for containing China, the U.S. secretary of state was rebuffed. India and Indonesia have their own ideas.

It’s true that the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy has brought certain pressures and challenges to China, but these are manageable, given the thinning resources of the United States and the ability of Chinese diplomacy to adapt.

Both China and the European Union have a strong desire to strengthen cooperation, despite the inevitability of future challenges. Green development, the digital economy and global challenges will increasingly be the new driving forces.

Recent spats between Pakistani and Saudi leadership may cause a rise in Chinese power in the region. With interlocked interests of oil, infrastructure, and loans between these three nations, China and Saudi Arabia will likely remain on top, while Pakistan’s interests are left unfulfilled.

Europe’s global interests have long been aligned with those of the United States, but as a new Cold War intensifies between China and the US, the EU states are diverging from what they see as brash US action.

Judging from the rhetoric of both Biden and Trump campaign ads, neither candidate has plans for a smooth relationship with China. From Beijing’s perspective, this election will show what type of confrontation to expect over the next four years.

The U.S. is suffering the world’s worst COVID-19 outbreak among countries of its relative wealth, and many citizens - including presidential candidates Trump and Biden - are pointing fingers at China. The climate of xenophobia and discrimination has put the Asian American demographic at risk physically, and economically.