Research and analysis on China’s foreign policy and role in the world.

Contrasting political systems and cultural norms have always made it difficult for China and the United States to work together. Ironically, with Presidents Trump and Xi, the potential for conflict is now greater not because of these differences but because of commonalities in their aspirations.

North Korea test-fired a missile on the morning of February 12, a primary objective of which was to improve the survivability of its nuclear weapons and missiles. But it also seems that North Korea had other goals in mind when testing this new mobilized solid-fuel missile.

As the nuclear weapon states face increasing international pressure to make new progress on disarmament, signing and ratifying a treaty for a nuclear free zone in the Asia-Pacific should be a top priority.

The new U.S. administration should avoid fueling unrealistic expectations of a breakthrough and instead seek incremental progress on specific topics based on a set of guiding principles.

U.S.-China relations are at a crossroads as the two countries’ leaders assert each nation’s place as a global leader, but new opportunities for productive engagement may replace growing strategic competition.

The new administration should think carefully before moving forward with recent proposals about China and the U.S. role in Asia.

With time and the need to accumulate achievements, policy issues will depend less on personalities, though the president’s personality will remain important, than on working with enduring realities.

President-elect Trump will most likely be the single most important source of tensions—and potentially conflicts—between Beijing and Washington in the next four years.

China’s place in the East Asian production chain distorts trade data to make it seem like the country responsible for the U.S. trade deficit. This is not the case.

The likelihood of North Korean nuclear and missile tests over the next six months is fairly high if the Trump administration continues the Obama administration’s unsuccessful approach of “strategic patience.”

Rather than fall into despondency, Europeans should see the presidency of Donald Trump as a salutary shock. Finally there is real urgency for Europe to get its act together.

Chinese leaders have not overreacted to President Trump’s early moves on China.

As China continues to grow, reform, invest abroad, and integrate with the global financial system, it is almost inevitable that one day the RMB will rival the U.S. dollar and the Euro as a global reserve currency. But that day is still far away.

For its own security and global stability, China should play a positive leadership role and adhere to a cool-headed, prudent, and well-thought-out nuclear policy.

Despite India’s insistence that it shares a political bond with China, the global interests of the two countries are actually very different.

Russia’s alleged meddling in the U.S. presidential election is a “serious breach.”

A wise course of policy for the United States, China, and Taiwan would be to focus on what can be done to maintain the high quality status quo than challenge the fundamental values of each other.

Singles’ Day and its staggering sales numbers stand out not just in economic terms but as an expression of China’s emerging urban culture.

China will be incentivized to adopt a growing leadership role in international trade and climate change negotiations in 2017 if the United States pursues more inward-looking policies under Trump.

As a rising China challenges American primacy in Asia, navigating between Beijing and Washington is a major strategic challenge for India.