Can the U.S. and China Find a Path to Peaceful Coexistence?

Tensions between the U.S. and China have reached alarming levels, fueling concerns about the possibility of war within the next decade. As the rivalry intensifies, it’s easy to feel pessimistic about the future of their relationship. But is there a way to steer U.S.-China relations toward a more stable future of peaceful coexistence?

A new American Statecraft Program volume edited by Christopher Chivvis offers a vision for this possibility. Drawing lessons from the Cold War and exploring a range of future scenarios, Chivvis, along with a dozen authors, outline a path for policymakers where the U.S. and China manage their competition predictably, without descending into open conflict. Much like the détente between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in the 1970s, this approach doesn’t promise an end to rivalry—but it could help stabilize relations and prevent a catastrophic outcome. Together, the authors of this volume collectively envision what a realistic effort to reduce U.S.-China tensions could hope to achieve.

Read more in the full volume, "U.S.-China Relations for the 2030s: Toward a Realistic Scenario for Coexistence.”

Elsewhere at Carnegie

1. Cooperation Between China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia: Current and Potential Future Threats to America, by Christopher Chivvis and Jack Keating
2. BRICS Expansion, the G20, and the Future of World Order, by Stewart Patrick
3. Tunisia’s Economy in the Eye of the Storm, by Ishac Diwan , hachemi Alaya, and Hamza Meddeb
4. Autocrats United: How Russia and Iran Defy the U.S.-Led Global Order, by Karim Sadjadpour and Nicole Grajewski, PhD
5. How Do Americans Feel About the Election and Foreign Policy? by Christopher M. Shell, Ph.D.
6. Israeli and Palestinian Societies Have Little Remaining Hope of Peace, by Nathan J. Brown

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