US-China rivalry: why the world isn't just a two-power game
The rivalry between China and the US is increasingly framed as a new Cold War, but this view fails to account for countries that refuse to pick a side.
/nginx/o/2026/09/25/17937490t1h1727.jpg)
Relations between China and the United States have increasingly been described as an intensifying great-power rivalry, one that many commentators and analysts compare to a new Cold War era. This comparison has become one of the main frameworks used to explain contemporary international politics and the distribution of global power.
However, this approach is considered overly simplified. A view that divides the world into two opposing camps — one aligned with the US, the other with China — does not reflect reality, as it overlooks a number of countries that deliberately avoid choosing sides between the two powers.
A third path between the great powers
The Cold War lens obscures a nuance central to many of today's international relationships — numerous countries currently maintain ties and cooperation with both China and the US, rather than pledging one-sided loyalty to either side.
Such a simplified interpretation of the global picture risks overlooking the role and influence of countries operating outside the binary US–China divide, whose position could significantly shape the dynamics of global power in the future.
