The US-China rivalry is often framed as a zero-sum game, but after studying trade flows for years, I think economic interdependence still gives both sides too much to lose from a full decoupling. Sanctions and export controls have real costs, and neither country's companies want to give up access to the other's market. Yet national security concerns keep pushing both governments toward confrontation, and I'm not sure that path leads anywhere stable. Should we accept that great power competition is inevitable, or is there still room for managed cooperation?