A bipolar world is taking shape. Can the US and China manage it?

A bipolar world is taking shape. Can the US and China manage it?

China’s rise has brought the world closer to a two-power system. Beijing and Washington’s growing dominance makes managing their rivalry more important – and cooperation more difficult.

The last time Chinese President Xi Jinping made a state visit to the United States, in 2015, he was already asking Washington to treat China as a great power.

Standing on the White House lawn with then President Barack Obama, Xi declared that China and America were “both great nations”. In Seattle, he called for a “new model of major-country relations” based on avoiding confrontation, respecting each other’s interests and pursuing cooperation.