US-China Rivalry
A central theme of the discussion, framed as a competition in technology (especially AI), economics, and military strength. Tsai argues against a zero-sum view, while Sacks explains the American perspective of needing to be #1.
First Mentioned
10/9/2025, 4:41:11 AM
Last Updated
10/9/2025, 4:50:22 AM
Research Retrieved
10/9/2025, 4:50:22 AM
Summary
The US-China rivalry, often termed a "Second Cold War," signifies heightened geopolitical tensions between the United States and China in the post-Cold War era. This competition is a central theme in global discussions on geopolitics, business, and technology, particularly concerning the global AI race. While figures like Joe Tsai advocate for cooperation, the US perspective, as articulated by scholars like Professor Mearsheimer, often emphasizes the necessity for the United States to maintain its sole superpower status, leading to an inevitable rivalry with a rising China. This dynamic is evident in areas such as AI adoption, where China is rapidly advancing through strategies like embracing open-source AI and substantial investment. The rivalry also extends to trade, with the US implementing tariffs and export controls on Chinese goods and technologies. Despite its technological progress, China faces significant domestic challenges, including high youth unemployment and a persistent property slump.
Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
Era
Post-Cold War era
Nature
Heightened geopolitical tensions
US Trade Actions
Quadrupled tariffs on electric vehicles, tripled on steel/aluminum, doubled on semiconductors; Unprecedented export controls on advanced technology; Ban on US investment in sensitive technologies
Alternative Names
Second Cold War, Cold War II, New Cold War
Chinese AI Adoption
Rapid progress, corporate use has soared
Chinese AI Strategy
Embracing Open Source AI, Massive investment from Hyperscalers
Fear of AGI in China
Less prevalent due to a belief in state control
Key Competition Areas
Global AI Race, Trade, Technology, Geopolitics, Economic Policies
China's Domestic Challenges
High Youth Unemployment, Chinese Property Slump
US Perspective (Mearsheimer)
Driven by necessity to remain the world's sole superpower, leading to inevitable competition
Timeline
- Normalization of US-China relations, marked by persistent disputes since then. (Source: Wikipedia - China–United States relations)
1970s
- US President Richard Nixon meets Chinese communist party leader Mao Tse-Tung. (Source: US Embassy - History of the U.S. and China)
1972-02-21
- United States and China normalized relations as Chinese policymakers aimed to boost international trade and investment under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping. (Source: CFR - Contentious U.S.-China Trade Relationship)
1979
- Secretary of Commerce Juanita Kreps signs documents at the Canton Trade Fair. (Source: US Embassy - History of the U.S. and China)
1979
- Beijing applied to rejoin the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the WTO’s predecessor. (Source: CFR - Contentious U.S.-China Trade Relationship)
1986
- China's 'social credit system' was initially conceptualized by the China Academy of Social Sciences. (Source: Web Search Results)
1999
- Xi Jinping’s 'China Dream' centered on the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation. (Source: Web Search Results)
2010s (early)
- Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the International Relations Entering a New Era and the Global Sustainable Development. (Source: Web Search Results)
2022-02-04
- A call between US and Chinese leaders occurs weeks after Russia invades Ukraine; China refuses to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin for the war. (Source: CFR - Timeline)
2022-03
- US President Biden quadrupled tariffs on electric vehicles made in China, tripled those on steel and aluminum, and doubled the duty on semiconductors. (Source: CFR - Contentious U.S.-China Trade Relationship)
Recent
- US President Biden introduced unprecedented export controls that restrict Beijing’s ability to obtain advanced technology. (Source: CFR - Contentious U.S.-China Trade Relationship)
Recent
- US President Biden banned some U.S. investment in sensitive technologies that lawmakers fear could be used to aid China’s growing military. (Source: CFR - Contentious U.S.-China Trade Relationship)
Recent
- US and Chinese leaders express a desire to ease bilateral tensions and agree to reopen communication channels, including climate talks. (Source: CFR - Timeline)
Recent
- US Secretary of State Blinken travels to Shanghai and Beijing to meet with top Chinese officials, including Xi. Blinken warns China against supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine, and discusses issues including North Korea’s nuclear missile programs and the Israel-Hamas war. (Source: CFR - Timeline)
Recent-04-26
- Less than a month after Blinken's trip, US President Biden imposes new U.S. tariffs on Chinese electronic vehicles and other green products. (Source: CFR - Timeline)
Recent-05
Wikipedia
View on WikipediaSecond Cold War
The terms Second Cold War, Cold War II, and New Cold War have been used to describe heightened geopolitical tensions in the Post–Cold War era, usually between the United States and either China or Russia—the latter of which is the successor state of the Soviet Union, which led the Eastern Bloc during the original 1947–1991 Cold War. The terms are sometimes used to describe tensions in multilateral relations, including China–Russia relations. Some commentators have used the terms as a comparison to the original Cold War, while others have discouraged their use to refer to any ongoing tensions.
Web Search Results
- The Contentious U.S.-China Trade Relationship
For instance, Biden quadrupled tariffs on electric vehicles made in China, tripled those on steel and aluminum, and doubled the duty on semiconductors; introduced [unprecedented export controls](https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2022/10/biden-export-control-microchips-china/671848/ "unprecedented export controls") that restrict Beijing’s ability to obtain advanced technology; and [banned some U.S. investment](https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/president-biden-has-banned-some-us-investment-china-heres-what-know "banned some U.S. investment") in sensitive technologies that lawmakers fear could be used to aid China’s growing military. In 1979, the United States and China normalized relations as Chinese policymakers aimed to boost international trade and investment under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, and in 1986, Beijing applied to rejoin the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the [WTO’s predecessor](https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/whats-next-wto "WTO’s predecessor"). This leap in imports is due in part to China’s critical position in [global supply chains](https://www.cfr.org/report/chinas-current-economy-implications-investors-and-supply-chains "global supply chains"); Chinese factories assemble products for export to the United States using components from all over the world.
- Timeline: U.S.-China Relations - Council on Foreign Relations
The call comes weeks after Russia invades Ukraine; during that time, China [refuses to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin](https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/china-russia-relationship-xi-putin-taiwan-ukraine) for the war and the resulting humanitarian crisis. Both leaders express a desire to [ease bilateral tensions](https://www.cfr.org/blog/what-biden-xi-meeting-means-us-china-relations) and agree to reopen communication channels, including climate talks that were suspended months earlier.  On April 26, Blinken travels to Shanghai and Beijing to meet with top Chinese officials, including Xi. Blinken warns China against supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine, and discusses issues including North Korea’s nuclear missile programs and the Israel-Hamas war.Less than a month later, Biden imposes new[U.S. tariffs](https://www.cfr.org/article/weighing-bidens-china-tariffs) on Chinese electronic vehicles and other green products.
- China–United States relations - Wikipedia
Since the normalization of relations in the 1970s, the US–China relationship has been marked by persistent disputes including China's economic policies, the
- History of the U.S. and China
(AP Photo)](https://china.usembassy-china.org.cn/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2018/06/AP21320348204224-scaled.jpg),’ designed to monitor and assess citizens’ trustworthiness, originates in the U.S. financial credit and banking system.8 Initially conceptualized in 1999 by the China Academy of Social Sciences, it was adapted and reinterpreted to fit China’s governance model.9 Xi Jinping’s [_China Dream_](https://www.jstor.org/stable/e48517186) (中国梦) centered on the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation (中华民族伟大复兴), can be viewed as a distinctly Chinese counterpart to MAGA—a vision of national revival and restored global influence, shaped in the early 2010s.10 37[](https://saisreview.sais.jhu.edu/the-silent-parallels-of-us-china-rivalry-a-clash-of-power-not-models/#_ednref34) “Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the International Relations Entering a New Era and the Global Sustainable Development,” _President of Russia_, February 4, 2022,[http://www.en.kremlin.ru/supplement/5770](http://www.en.kremlin.ru/supplement/5770). [](https://saisreview.sais.jhu.edu/the-silent-parallels-of-us-china-rivalry-a-clash-of-power-not-models/)