While US-China tensions seem to be unending, experience from the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union can help prevent "hot conflict."

On July 27, the American flag was lowered at its consulate in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.

This is just one of a series of "tit-for-tat" moves between the two countries, amid a rapidly deteriorating bilateral relationship, raising concerns about a "New Cold War" between the two powers.

Signs of a new Cold War also show in a series of recent remarks from top officials in the Trump administration, including Justice Secretary William Barr, national security adviser Robert

According to Dr. David Sambaugh, director of the China Policy Program at George Washington University, the US, it's time to acknowledge the fact that Washington and Beijing are in a new Cold War.

"Historians will debate the precise start of this period. However, signs came long before the staff at the two consulates hurriedly destroyed the document.

Like the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union, the decades-long global geopolitical confrontation, Washington and Beijing are treating each other as strategic rivals.

Both also hold exercises to deter the enemy, prepare for the risk of direct confrontation or proxy conflict, and consolidate military arsenals.

Tension is not only limited between the two governments, but also disrupts the process of academic exchanges and other US-China social links.

Most Americans now consider confrontation with China as a "new normal".

In the midst of severe tensions, Dr. Shambaugh raised the question of how to keep the new Cold War from heating up and managing escalating conflicts.

According to Shambaugh, the United States and the Soviet Union followed a hostile restraint framework despite their confrontational relationship during the Cold War.

The US - China are all powers that own nuclear weapons.

"The priority must be to build a communication mechanism between the two militaries and national security facilities, and to establish precise procedures to prevent an accidental military encounter escalating the city.

During the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the two countries also took other measures to build trust, including cultural programs.

During the past 4 decades, the US and China have directly exchanged experts and students.

To "defuse" tensions, some American scholars argue that the Chinese government and China need to reach a "great deal", as the late President Richard Nixon and former foreign minister Henry Kissinger negotiated.

"However, the current US-China relationship is too complicated and carries many risks when carrying out such a macro plan. The two countries will continue to confront in all aspects and the tension will only escalate over time.