Compared with diplomatic issues, the new administration is facing more challenges in domestic affairs, which is also more critical for Trump’s re-election four years from now. For a Trump administration, with the edge of the Republican-controlled Congress, it is urgent to promote domestic policies and reforms. The alliance system, therefore, is not among the top priorities or issues, and its institutional nature insulates it from the whims of a single individual.

The fine momentum of deepening China-US cooperation in various areas will inevitably extend into the upcoming new US presidency. Donald Trump and his team, who have won the election under the banner of “Make America Great Again”, should see that joining hands with China in the Asia-Pacific will result in a win-win scenario for both counties.

It remains to be seen whether the Trump-led US will be more self-confident, or more suspicious; continue embracing (though no longer enthusiastically) globalization, or nervously shrink back. The notion that businessman Trump will be more interested in cutting deals, and that his foreign policy will forsake persistent American values and criteria, is overly naive.

As tensions escalate, the players will eventually go against US national interests, with potential for conflict and instability. The only viable path to peace and security is deepening strategic cooperation and pursuing common security across the region.

Evolving circumstances mean that new approaches are essential to maintain the momentum that ties between the two countries have enjoyed for 30 years. If Beijing and Washington can chart a new course forward and institute workable frameworks, then the relationship may well be on track to scale new heights.

China’s alleged militarization of the South China Sea isn’t supported by the facts, and the US definition of ‘militarization’ defies both common sense and international practice.

The TPP is an important piece of Obama’s strategy of rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific region, and also one of the most important political legacies he’s tried to build before leaving the White House. Any delay in approving the TPP will deal a heavy blow to the US rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region, but faced with the political reality of the US elections, a rethink will be in order.

Security assistance is a tangible means of bolstering partner nations’ ability to fend off Chinese maritime coercion. If the U.S. truly seeks to shift its strategic weight to the Asia-Pacific, it must consider ways to rebalance its security assistance programs to enable its maritime Southeast Asian partners, as they defend the front lines.

Asia is famous for its multiple civilizations and their core value systems that have guided Asian nations since ancient times. Recent decades have seen China making great contributions to regional economic growth and unity with its peaceful and rapid development. Common development will always be the hallmark of this great region.

China believes that it can cultivate a relationship with the U.S. based on peaceful co-existence. However, the South China Sea is proving a collision point between U.S. hegemony and Chinese interests in safeguarding its own security and development.