While the Pompeo-Yang summit was a welcome respite in an otherwise escalating great power conflict, the summit seems little more than a chance for each side to probe the other’s redlines on the myriad of issues on which they disagree.

A desirable prospect for future China-U.S. relations is that rational deliberations prevail and the two parties formulate a stable relationship of “coopetition.” Unfortunately, the current U.S. administration has little interest in moving in that direction.

There are many reasons to conclude that the downturn in relations between China and the United States is a temporary phenomenon.

While Xi Jinping leads China into an unprecedented era of economic expansion, President Trump blames China for American economic stagnation. Blame is neither a strategy nor a plan – but domestic investment is.

Recently published in the National Review, “China Unquarantined” is little more than an unfounded, incendiary cheat-sheet to remind Republicans to stay on message and speak in unison.

The future of China-U.S. relations depends on efforts from both sides. But China needs to do more to communicate that it does not see America in decline, nor does it want a new Cold War.

If the ideas of extreme partisans like Steve Bannon were to come to pass, the world would be a more dangerous place. For the U.S., decoupling would mean a complete reorganization its East Asian industrial chains. This nonsense needs to stop.

There are many factors in play that work against a precipitous break in China-U.S. relations. The current fever of confrontation will break if the two countries adhere to a few bottom-line principles.

As China-U.S. relations spiral downward, a crucial moment has been reached. The next five months will determine whether or not the relationship can be salvaged. If Trump is re-elected, the two countries may slide into irreversible confrontation.

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.