The winners and losers of the last year tell a story of turbulence and change in a year that saw the world make it through 12 more months of global pandemic and simmering geopolitical tensions, without resolving either issue.

Having achieve little in early December, the United States is looking ahead to another round in 2022. But if the Republicans return to power in the midterm election, international enthusiasm will be dampened.

Hyping the China threat only incites fear. Beware of political opportunism and profiteering when a media outlet starts banging the drums for war.

China and the United States should move forward without delay and show visible results as soon as possible in areas of agreement. Where they differ, they should adopt sound crisis management mechanisms and strive to find compromises that meet the demands of both sides.

As China focuses on the pursuit of common prosperity, reforms should encourage making the overall cake bigger, so that more can find its way to labor. This will unleash consumption as a growth driver and bring many other benefits.

China’s image abroad is a pressing concern for its senior leadership. If they hope to expand their international influence, Chinese officials must accept criticisms of their actions or risk alienating societies who share differing values.

The narrative of Sino-American relations often concerns high-level interactions - yet people-to-people and other societal exchanges can reveal and repair more than official dialogue can often accomplish.

China’s younger generations have seen their country prosper and grow stronger for nearly their entire lives, cultivating a sense of pride and identity unique from their older counterparts. Now, as the United States has begun to openly challenge China’s rise, attitudes toward America are being eroded.

The current world is undergoing a dichotomy of development. On the one hand, the tangible and intangible bindings of international community become increasingly intertwined, thus not only making the world an earth village, but also an integrated entity. On the other hand, there are also forces pulling the world apart and making the international community fragmented and in piecemeal. Moreover, arising are some worrying social thoughts such as unilateralism, protectionism, extremism and Xenophobia. These phenomena are also teaching us that physical power is far from enough to combat the current and future challenges to the mankind. Indeed, to meet these challenges we need to synchronize both physical and cultural strength.

In 2019, U.S. Customs seized 3400 pounds of invasive Chinese mitten crabs at the Cincinnati, Ohio airport. The mitten crab threatens commercial fishing and biodiversity and is listed on the top 100 worst invader list. China is hosting the 15th meeting of the Convention on Biodiversity and is in a position to show leadership in protecting aquatic environments.