When the Biden administration speaks of challenges to the liberal international order, it should be understood that U.S. anxiety over the “authoritarianism” it attributes to China and Russia is an external projection of internal domestic ideological contradictions and external troubles.

After nearly two years in office, the Biden administration recently published its National Security Strategy. The 48-page document covers the broad spectrum of national security and foreign policy challenges to the United States, prominently including the People’s Republic of China.

It’s clear that the United States is determined to win its competition with China. Therefore, China should prepare for greater pressure from the U.S. during what the newly released National Security Strategy calls the “decisive decade” ahead.

The nature of U.S.-China relations have become increasingly polarized since the mid-2010s. It seems like both sides sit on opposite sides of a spectrum, when in reality, both nations exert influence and control over resources and neighbors that could be organized to work well together.

There are many imperfections and contradictions in the latest NSS. It’s hard enough to promote fairness and justice in the world, so how does one balance a strategy that puts U.S. interests and the well-being of Americans ahead of everyone else?

The new U.S. National Security Strategy report reflects a certain anxiety within the Biden administration, which has not evolved materially beyond Trump. The strategy neither advances global peace nor prevents China-U.S. relations from sliding into confrontation.

In turbulent times, China remains steadfastly committed to its path of peaceful development. The words of President Xi Jinping and State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi are worthy of thoughtful study.

Export controls are central in economic competition between the U.S. and China. A new U.S.-led multilateral export control regime could further entrench efforts to exclude China from accessing Western technology.

An anti-development drive by the United States aims to undercut China in the Solomon Islands and elsewhere. Washington portrays China as a bad actor, sows discord and sets up exclusive trading blocs in a geopolitical tsunami designed to maintain U.S. dominance.

The U.S. strategic community’s assessment of America’s China policy can make a major difference in bilateral relations. Crises have a double edge: They provide challenges but also opportunities. Whether or not U.S. leaders will listen to the experts remains an open question.