Asia Sentinel

Asia Sentinel

Opinion

Managed Rivalry: What “Constructive Strategic Stability” Really Means for US–China Relations

Behind the Trump–Xi summit rhetoric lies a new framework for managing long-term US–China rivalry without open conflict

May 19, 2026
∙ Paid
By: Khanh Vu Duc
Photo from White House

When Xi Jinping and Donald Trump met in Beijing on May 13 to 15, public attention focused on the familiar “4T” agenda — trade, tariffs, technology, and Taiwan. Yet the more significant development was conceptual. Xi introduced a new framing for U.S.–China relations: “constructive strategic stability.” He also invoke…

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