US-China conflict doesn’t have to become a self-fulfilling prophecy

We are reminded seemingly daily of the great power transitions that ended in conflict. However, it is the exceptions – the ones that did not result in war – that could have real lessons to offer.

Today, the question is more than academic. Standing beside US President Donald Trump at the White House last week, President Xi Jinping proposed that competition between China and the United States should be “a race of catching up with one another”, not “a wrestle where one either wins or loses”.

Whether these metaphors survive the real disputes between the two countries on trade, technology or political red lines is another matter. Could the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation really go hand in hand with making America great again?