Trade talks between China and the United State have morphed beyond trade disputes, the solutions require the political will from the highest level. While working for a positive outcome, both parties should be prepared for a “no deal” scenario. The window of opportunities is closing.

Over the next decade, new perspectives on sovereignty, human rights, and intellectual property will revise current legal norms. We are not in a ‘Cold War,’ but Beijing is courting US allies away from liberal democracy with investment, as globalization and its growing pains prove unpopular and spread populist politics across the globe.

Though many negative beliefs continue to circulate widely within the American media and the American government, Shen Yamei makes clear that these fallacies are unfounded by analyzing relevant literature, key moments in US history and American foreign policy strategy. She argues that, China will not bend to American narratives, and only when the US starts to realize it, can it begin to reverse course and decide to put its China policy back on the right track.

The normalization of U.S. Coast Guard presence in the South China Sea is likely to lead to greater competition and interference. Far from keeping the peace, U.S. intrusions into the region are deliberate exercises of power that aim to assert control.

While China-U.S. relations remain moderate, they are also in a critical position to steer away from a full ideological conflict. In order to prevent another cold war, both sides must recall that cooperation is in both parties’ best interests.

The remaining gaps in the U.S.-China trade negotiations are harder to resolve because they reflect differing views on what is the ultimate game plan of the trade war.

In refreshing its competition strategy against China, the U.S. has revealed changed tactics since the Cold War era, embracing an “integrated campaign” that makes use of cooperation, competition below armed conflict, and armed conflict.

The China-US reconciliation at the Osaka G20 Summit grants opportunities for a new trade deal to stabilize the global economy. However, if protectionism, populism, and international tensions go unchecked, the summit’s benefits are likely to be short-lived.

The open letter signed by US experts and scholars gives a voice to some of the cooler heads in China-US relations. But closer reading indicates that a serious and powerful challenge to Trump’s fundamental China strategy is still lacking in the US.

Though their G20 Osaka summit meeting made headlines for its positive signals, President Xi and President Trump still must address three key areas for policy coordination: mitigating the global impact of financial innovation, balancing their scientific and technological cooperation with their respective national security concerns, and addressing the trend towards weaponizing trade and international finance.