Far from being a predictable tussle between the United States and China, the past year has been saturated with strategic agency and geopolitical unpredictability.
From the conflict in Ukraine to tensions over Taiwan, the two superpowers were unquestionably among the main protagonists. Washington was instrumental in mobilizing Western sanctions against Russia and deploying massive military aid to Ukraine throughout the year. But China’s diplomatic support for and expanded energy imports from Russia were also a decisive factor in determining the course of the European conflict.
The U.S. and China were naturally also at the center of the new round of tensions in the Taiwan Strait, following former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the self-ruling island in August. Both superpowers flexed military muscle in the run-up to — as well as in the immediate aftermath of — the U.S. legislative leader’s controversial visit.