THE NEW EQUILIBRIUM

On February 21, 1972, U.S. President Richard Nixon embarked on an icebreaking journey to China that proved to be “the week that changed the world.” The handshake between Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai when the former stepped off the airplane, captured on lens on site, symbolized the restoration of formal contact between Beijing and Washington, cut off by the Cold War for more than two decades.

Nixon’s historic visit led to the normalization of the Sino-American relationship that fundamentally reconfigured the global balance of power.

However, 50 years on, the China-U.S. relationship has spiraled down to one of its rarest low points in history. Viewing China as a major threat to American hegemony, Washington is determined to launch a fierce “strategic competition” with Beijing. Guided by the so-called Indo-Pacific strategy, the U.S. has mobilized allies and partners in a broad campaign to encircle and exclude China strategically.

The era of engagement ushered in