Sino-American relations entered a dark era four years back, and we would do well to beware the "small things" which can lead to dangerous miscalculations.

Not a month has gone by these past two years without an incident: closure of consulates in both countries, sanctioning of a member of China's politburo, the campaign against Huawei, and the list goes on.

While I would welcome a new, realistic strategy for standing up to China in certain areas such as Xinjiang, Hong Kong and the South China Sea, what worries me are the bellicose speeches made by US President Donald Trump's hawks; they add up to an attitude, not a strategy, articulating compelling arguments to simply impose pain on China and talking with allies only in loose, aspirational terms.

Another president would probably have formulated a grand vision on how to engage China, as has been the predictable, coherent state of affairs since then US President Richard Nixon went to China about 50 years ago.

Wong Horng Ginn