China believes that under Biden, US-China relations have a chance to turn around to prevent a new Cold War.

Twenty years ago, Chinese leaders and strategists determined that the first decades of the new millennium would provide China with a "strategic opportunity" to develop its economy in a secure environment.

The US's focus on the fight against terrorism in the Middle East and China joining the World Trade Organization in 2001, they argue, creates a window of opportunity for Beijing to maintain double-digit economic growth.

But four turbulent years under the Donald Trump administration have dragged China into a protracted trade war and increasingly fierce strategic competition, leading to fears that the window of opportunity for China may be closed.

According to the latest assessment from leading Chinese foreign policy experts, the strategic opportunity still exists, maybe in a short time and China needs to prolong it for as long as possible.

Beijing strategists say that door will open under President-elect Joe Biden, whose leader still sees China as a rival, but will implement more stable policies to change bilateral relations.

"Beijing should strive to maintain the period of strategic opportunity for as long as possible, including access to and improve relations with the new US administration, as the Biden administration can provide space and time.

"The period of strategic opportunity" is a phrase frequently mentioned in Chinese speeches and official documents, the overall framework by which Chinese leaders assess the external environment and

The term first appeared in 2002 under then-leader Jiang Zemin, who "inherited" the judgment of late leader Deng Xiaoping that China should "hide and wait".

After coming to power, Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed this assessment.

In early November, the country's foreign policy "chief architect", Politburo member and State Commissioner Duong Khiet Tri, instructed the need to "protect and prolong" the time of that opportunity door.

China has shown its willingness to work with the Biden government.

In his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September, Xi pledged that China would set CO2 emissions targets to a peak before 2030 and then to zero by 2060. Last week, he

"I believe it is China, not the US, that can turn bilateral relations," said Wang Jisi, a leading expert on US-China relations at Peking University.

"We cannot be too optimistic about Biden because his administration is likely to continue to prioritize competition over cooperation. But if the Biden administration can bring new developments to US-China relations then we will.

Wang said that although Beijing is unlikely to make concessions on issues such as Xinjiang, Tibet or Hong Kong, it can improve Washington's view of Beijing by promoting more economic reform policies.

"The biggest difference between President Donald Trump and Biden is that Biden and his advisers understand that the US-Mid-Term relationship is illogical and against America's interests. They also understand that.

"The Biden administration will provide a window of opportunity to prevent the two countries from entering a new all-out Cold War. But such a timeframe could be very short, because the United States will hold midterm parliamentary elections next year.

Wang added that China could also benefit because the likelihood of the United States returning to the region's large multilateral trading network is very low.

The CPTPP was initially designed as a key pillar in the pivot to Asia strategy under President Barack Obama, when Biden was vice president, but Trump withdrew the US from the three-day deal after taking office in 2017.

"The Biden team will definitely think that the US should join the CPTPP, but given the current political landscape in the US, they cannot achieve a breakthrough," Wang said.

During the period of An Huang, the advisor to the State Council of China, also said that Beijing should seize the chance that Biden's victory created.

"The Washington-Beijing relationship trajectory after the US election could be influenced or shaped by China to a considerable extent," said Thoi, professor of international relations at the People's University.

The Amen dynasty said China should start dialogue with the Biden administration as soon as possible and ease the escalating military tensions by "strategic retreat".

The professor also urged Beijing to avoid "provoking resentment", winning more sympathy from the international community.