Robert A. Manning is a distinguished fellow with the Strategic Foresight Hub at the Stimson Center, where he works on its global foresight and China programs.
Chinese and U.S. flags flutter in the wind at the Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services facilities near Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai on April 17.
A protester at the center holds up a sign showing a cartoon image of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Myanmar military chief Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing during a demonstration against the military coup in front of the Chinese Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar.
A photo collage shows Donald Trump squinting and smiling slightly as he looks to the right. Paper tears at the corner reveal an image of devastation in Gaza and a person walking through a dry landscape. A cool-to-warm gradient color effect is over the image.
View of portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with banners underneath that translate to "Long live the undefeated friendship and unity of DPRK-Russia!" and "We warmly welcome Comrade Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, the President of the Russian Federation" outside the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium in Pyongyang on June 20.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (L), U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (R) arrive for a joint news conference following three-way talks at Camp David in Maryland.
U.S. President Joe Biden sits at a desk with his chin resting on his clasped hands. Biden holds a highlighter and has an array of papers front of him, and Chinese President Xi Jinping is visible on the screen of a monitor over Biden's shoulder.
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a virtual summit from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington on Nov. 15, 2021.