From the ‘Thucydides Trap’ to the Dao of ‘Zhonghe’: How China-US Relations Are Navigating Towards ‘Constructive Strategic Stability’

'Constructive Strategic Stability' is the term China is using to describe its goals in relations with the US following Xi Jinping's meeting with Donald Trump.

Nine years ago, covering President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States, I stood in a makeshift workspace not far from Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Through a monitor, I watched the first handshake between the Chinese and American heads of state under the warm southern sun. At that time, the air was thick with a mixture of cautious expectation and uncertain…