Can war between China and the United States still be avoided? The relationship between the U.S. and China is peculiarly volatile. It rests on a seismic fault--of cultural misunderstanding, historical grievance, and ideological incompatibility. No other nations are so quick to offend and to be offended. Their militaries play a dangerous game of chicken, corporations steal intellectual property, intelligence satellites peer, and AI technicians plot. The capacity for either country to cross a fatal line grows daily. In this book, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd demystifies the actions and prejudices of both sides, explaining and translating them for the benefit of the other. To Rudd there is no doubt: geopolitical disaster is still avoidable, but only if these two giants find a way to coexist without betraying their core interests through what Rudd calls "managed strategic competition." Should they fail, down that path lies the possibility of a war that could rewrite the future of both countries, and the world. "Rudd offers constructive steps for the two powers to stabilize their relations." Henry Kissinger "Wise counsel from a seasoned statesman." Graham Allison, author of Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides' Trap?