While some anticipated a “reset” of U.S.-China relations with the new Biden administration, this does not seem to be the case. Early signs reveal considerable continuity with the previous Trump administration, although some changes in tactics can be anticipated.

New U.S. President Joe Biden is facing a new and different China focused on global rules. It is trying to work with the United States in a mutually beneficial way, but it is preparing for the worst-case scenario. The two countries now have a window of opportunity to usher in a new phase in their relationship.

Trump made a show out of confronting opponents American or foreign. Though he made China a key opponent throughout his presidency, the fallout from his political movement in the U.S. could make repairing Sino-American relations a second priority in the next presidential term.

The United States needs to have greater cooperation with its allies in order to achieve more effective relations with China.

What drove the U.S.-China rapprochement was a common desire to counter the strategic expansionism of the Soviet Union. And the Taiwan issue has since remained a constant irritant in the Sino-American relationship.

China and the U.S. worked together for years to overcame obstacles to make China's accession to WTO possible in 2001, bringing huge benefits to both countries.

As China-U.S. relations deteriorate, communication and cooperation on energy and environmental issues have ground to a halt. Yet climate cooperation between the two largest polluters during the Paris climate conference in 2015 provides some lessons to be learned.

Despite intensifying acrimony, in the face of the most devastating economic crisis since the Great Depression, the two governments shelved differences, pursued cooperation, and led an international collective effort to stabilize the global financial system.

On the threshold of a new world order and a new China-U.S. reality, if we have not seen a clear path ahead for the bilateral ties, we might turn to history for some guide.

Instead of transactional trade agreements, Biden’s China policy seems to seek concrete change in Beijing’s behavior. With a transatlantic divide between the US and Europe, it might be difficult to sway certain European countries into siding with Washington over Beijing.