This year has already seen some rather positive signs for U.S.-China relations, signs that have been absent practically since great power competition began under the Trump administration. For the first time in the era of strategic competition, the two countries are trying to take serious measures to stabilize bilateral ties, as attested by the two presidents’ summit in Bali last November. With Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s upcoming trip to Beijing and potential China visits coming up by other cabinet members such as Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen, many observers are hoping for some meaningful improvement in bilateral relations.  The question that everyone has been asking, however, is whether this positive trajectory is temporary and tactical in nature, or sustainable and strategic in essence. The answer to that question may not be known until later because much depends on events, and interactions between the two countries. Nevertheless, an examination of the reali