US-China crossroads ahead : perils and opportunities for Biden

No amount of sugarcoating can downplay the current depth and scope of stress in Sino-US relations. Clashes routinely run the gamut between Beijing’s handling of Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and Taiwan; its industrial policies and trade practices; and its relations with third countries such as Iran. Unfortunately for the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the drastic downturn of its relations with the United States has also coincided with the ongoing spats with a bevy of countries, not least the first flashes of violence in decades on the border with India. Coupled with the fallout from the COVID-19 fiasco, China is facing arguably its worst geostrategic and diplomatic environment since the 1970s.