Unlike the Cold War between the West and the USSR, a US-China cold war is unlikely, given the fact that China is heavily integrated in the global economy and that people-to-people exchange remains high.

As China continues to challenge the U.S., Washington should avoid engaging in inflammatory actions and rhetoric that will undermine its international presence and ultimately empower Beijing.

Trump’s inclusion of guests of honor looks a lot like an attempt to encircle China. Worries about a “new cold war” between China and the U.S. are not unfounded, as progress is being whittled away.

The coronavirus pandemic deflated President Trump’s touted trade deal, as data suggests that Beijing will likely fail to meet key commitments due to suppressed global demand. If coronavirus kills the US-China trade deal, other political and economic disagreements could escalate the US-China rivalry into a potential Cold War.

The stability that was expected from the signing of the Phase One trade deal is now a distant reality in the wake of COVID-19. The U.S. and China are entangled in blame games and trade disputes, setting the stage for further, more devastating escalation.

With China-U.S. relations already on a downward trajectory, things are likely to get worse. The world is entering a period of heightened risk in the next six months.

A misguided analysis of history raises the potential for a repeat of a negative outcome. The world is not the same as it was, and the policy approach that was used against the USSR will not work for China.

In recent years, fears of a new cold war between the United States and China have been proliferating. But the tensions between the two powers would be better described as a “cool war,” characterized not by old-fashioned spheres of interest, proxy wars, and the threat of “mutually assured destruction,” but by an unprecedented combination of wide-ranging competition and deep interconnection.

First of all, it’s not clear that such a confrontation even exists. Science and engineering cooperation between China and the U.S. has been growing rapidly over the last two decades.

The Trump administration's attempts to decouple China-U.S. economic ties equates to dangerous market distortion – driving unnecessary dislocation, inefficiencies and global trade disruption. Such measures will harm both Chinese and U.S. economies in the near- and longer-term and contribute to a less open and more divided world.