The new U.S. president’s opening moves were generally steady and smooth, and some were successful. But America’s deep-rooted political and social contradictions will act as a constraint during Biden’s presidency.

A new cold war between China and the United States will not look like the one between the U.S. and Soviet Union. It will involve entirely new forms of competition. This is the direction the Biden administration is heading as it seeks to suppress China.

The general mood in the relationship is better than it was toward the end of the frenzied Trump term. But it’s too early to know if a true rebound has occurred. The Biden administration has signaled that it will go even further than Trump when it comes to China policy.

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 Senate’s high-tech industry proposal marks a change in tone for the nation - no longer appealing to domestic job creation, the bill’s selling point lays bare the motivation to compete with China’s economy.

Wide-ranging conversation may signal a U.S. intention to appease China. But the Biden administration apparently wants to avoid being seen as overly provocative, even as it adopts a competitive and confrontational stance on the real issues and creates diversions with others.

The U.S. position on China has become increasingly antagonistic in recent years, but U.S. pressure is more likely to deepen Chinese hostility than it is to create productive reform.

The recently concluded G-7, U.S.-EU, and NATO Summits in Europe showed newfound coordination and common purpose vis-à-vis China. This represents a new and more confrontational stage in Sino-Western relations. China’s reactions to the joint communiqués were quick to condemn them. Expect heightened tensions between China and the West in the months ahead.

The Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 is a comprehensive attack that marks the advent of a comprehensive containment strategy against China by the United States. In response, China should cast aside unrealistic expectations, maintain strategic focus and put our own house in order.

Three major matters underpin the future of China-U.S. relations. First, there is no such thing as a destiny of doom as presented in the concept of the Thucydides trap. On the contrary, the future of the Sino-U.S. relationship is largely up to both countries to assess, determine and choose.