China Briefing | A nasty US-China fight is inevitable. But it needn’t be terminal

Since late February, three nor’easter storms in two weeks have pummelled the northeastern United States while the cold spell known as “the Beast from the East” froze much of Europe, dumping heavy snow and causing massive disruption and chaos. Following in their wake is likely to be a geopolitical storm of equally large proportions – one that will slam into Sino-US ties – arguably the world’s most consequential diplomatic relationship, given it concerns the two largest economies.

Originating from Donald Trump’s White House, and brewing menacingly, it threatens to put the two countries on a path of direct confrontation, ignite a full-blown trade war, and bring massive disruptions to global trade.

The latest surprise developments in White House politics and over the North Korea issue all portend a serious cold spell for bilateral ties in the coming months.

How Beijing reacts to the upcoming storm will of course be watched closely around the world but more importantly, it will also provide an acute test of the wisdom and leadership of President Xi Jinping and his foreign team, which includes Wang Qishan, who has been named China’s vice-president.

While Xi is clearly on a roll, Trump has recently declared that trade wars are good and easy to win, setting the stage inevitably for a nasty fight.