The long opening-up to the global market that defined China's rise is over. Going forward, its relationship with the West will be grounded in different terms -- the competition for technological dominance and meeting the challenge of climate change. In these respects, conflict with China is as inexorable as cooperation is imperative.
Conflict was perhaps inevitable that once globalization entered the digital age. Control and manipulation of data and information flows, including artificial intelligence, are not just other factors of production like machine tools or steel.
