Commentary: U.S.-China Ties Show Signs of Stabilization, but Rivalry Endures

At a moment when U.S.-China relations have often seemed defined by distrust and escalation, there are tentative grounds for cautious optimism. If the relationship today could be summarized in a single word, it would be improving. In two words: improving and stabilizing.

Compared with the atmosphere of six months or a year ago, both governments appear more clear-eyed about the risks they face. The period following Washington’s imposition of steep tariffs on Chinese goods — and Beijing’s retaliatory measures affecting critical supply chains, including rare earths — left the two countries in a precarious truce. That truce was fragile, but it created space for renewed engagement.