The visit by military aircraft is subject to interpretation. But using this kind of theater to test China’s patience and undercut the dignity of the Chinese government will certainly lead the latter to adjust and change its policy toward the island.

In their latest communiqué, NATO leaders declared that China presents “systemic challenges to the rules-based international order.” The response from China’s mission to the European Union was clear: “We will not present a ‘systemic challenge’ to anyone, but if someone wants to pose a ‘systemic challenge’ to us, we will not remain indifferent.” Such a tit-for-tat rhetoric is unnecessary, and most of the world’s population probably does not want it to escalate. Yet escalation is becoming more likely every day.

The United States and China are embroiled in a contest that might prove more enduring, more wide-ranging, and more intense than any other international competi­tion in modern history, including the Cold War. In both countries, fears have grown that the contest might escalate into open conflict.

China recently initiated a wave of diplomatic courtship of ASEAN nations, as both sides work to navigate the reality of China’s resurgent gravity in the Pacfic region.

China has called for an immediate cease-fire and an end to violence to save the lives of innocent civilians on both sides. The ultimate solution, in China’s view, lies in a two-state solution. The Palestinians who live in the region are entitled to a state of their own, no less than Israelis.

China’s upward trajectory can be seen most tangibly in its many investments in Africa - home to many of the world’s fastest growing economies. The U.S., fearful of being unseated as the world’s central power, has to play catch up on the continent.

As a former U.S. colony, the Philippines has maintained close ties with the United States on security issues for decades, and may quickly become a key player in Washington’s plans in the Indo-Pacific as China tests their claims across the South China Sea.

China-U.S. relations should not be defined by vicious strategic competition but rather by a nurturing of mutual trust. The greatest obstacle is presented by China hawks in U.S. strategic circles who want to hijack American policy and prevent Biden from breaking away from Trumpism.

The negativity of China-U.S. talks in Alaska risks a further downward spiral and an unhealthy new normal. But it’s an improvement over the Trump era. If the parties keep expectations low and maintain mutual respect, they should be able to replace their free-falling relationship with a more stable one.

The U.S. is the world’s greatest military power already, yet it continues to expand, claiming to be responding, in part, to a Chinese military threat. This is far from convincing. In truth, China is small compared with the U.S. military juggernaut.