China, the United States, and Japan are putting new emphasis on expanding their amphibious military capabilities, to both seize and defend strategic islands if needed. We may be heading towards an amphibious arms race in the Western Pacific.

Going forward it is important both for the U.S. to clarify specifically what sort of hegemony it opposes and for China to be careful that its quest for hegemonic leadership does not move towards bullying and empire. Both moves are necessary if the world’s two great powers are going to negotiate the strains of shifting power.

Companies around the world are already racing to develop the necessary 5G network technology, leading to new technological tensions between the U.S. and China. Given the continued demand for high-speed wireless connectivity and mobile devices, there’s a lot at stake for the companies that get 5G technology right and ultimately end up driving its deployment.

Fears of serious conflict between China and the U.S. are the result of hasty conclusions, superficiality, one-sidedness, and claptrap.

Competition can be healthy for both China and the US, provided it doesn’t get out of hand.

Zainab Zaheer argues that with the Belt and Road’s development, the next few years may be slightly reminiscent of the Cold War, where two rival nations both well equipped with resources and manpower fought for influence and dominance, while smaller nations were left playing a game of strategy, trying to maximize the benefits of fraternizing with giants.