First the good news — Washington and Beijing are talking again. In 2023, both capitals came to accept the reality that the deterioration of relations that had carried over from the Trump years through much of the first Biden term was unsustainable. At the start of 2024 there’s a sense that, in the short run, bilateral relations are more functional than a year earlier. But those with an eye on the structural problems afflicting the relationship will still recognise that the United States’ Asia policy is increasingly guided by competition with China. Asia will have to take the initiative to build a regional system in ... (full story)