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2025-06-02-sino-american-co-ambition

Travis, Joe,

Building on our recent, inspiring conversations about global peace and the future of US-China relations, I've put together these thoughts to capture the vision we discussed. This is a starting point for us, and for anyone else you trust who might help facilitate this ambitious but, I believe, achievable future.

A Vision for the Golden Era of Sino-American Co-Ambition

By Gary Sheng

June 2, 2025

I believe we stand at the threshold of something extraordinary—a golden era of Sino-American co-creation and co-ambition that could transform not just our two nations, but the entire world.

The Stakes Have Never Been Higher​

Let me start with what keeps people awake at night: the very real fear that US-China relations and conflict could spiral into something catastrophic—potentially leading to existential threats and death tolls we can hardly fathom. The anxiety is palpable and justified. Two nuclear superpowers with increasingly divergent worldviews, locked in what many see as inevitable competition, doesn't end well in any historical playbook.

But here's where I'm more optimistic than most: I believe we can figure this out. Not in decades, not in years—we can figure this out in weeks if we can genuinely believe in and commit to a Sino-American co-ambition era. The alternative—continued escalation toward potential civilizational conflict—is unacceptable. The choice is stark: co-creation or co-destruction.

The Case for Co-Flourishing​

As someone whose very existence is the result of US-China dynamics—I'm literally alive because of the Chinese Student Protection Act following Tiananmen Square—I understand viscerally that both the American and Chinese people fundamentally want the same thing: to flourish. This isn't naive optimism; it's a recognition that we've exhausted all other options.

The current trajectory of escalating competition serves no one. What if instead of a zero-sum game, we created a meta-game—one where the smartest, most ambitious people from both countries could collaborate and be dramatically rewarded in status, wealth, and impact?

Beyond Traditional Frameworks​

What I'm proposing isn't another Belt and Road initiative or its American equivalent. Those models often feel extractive, even colonial. Instead, imagine projects that genuinely represent the interests, genius, and resources of both nations—ventures so compelling that participation becomes irresistible for our best minds.

The key innovation here is crypto-enabled shared equity. Imagine if every major joint venture automatically distributed value to all citizens of both countries. When a project succeeds spectacularly, every American and Chinese citizen would hold a fraction of that success. This isn't just about wealth distribution—it prompts beautiful, necessary questions about citizenship, belonging, and shared destiny.

The Power of Aligned Incentives​

I understand how the world really works: a small set of hyper-agents ultimately decide the trajectory of nations. But here's what excites me—we have, in both countries, leaders with unprecedented capability. The question isn't whether we have the talent; it's whether we have the wisdom to channel it toward co-creation rather than mutual destruction.

The rulers of the universe, as some call them, must recognize that strategic cooperation doesn't mean weakness. It means creating diamonds through the pressure of competition combined with the framework of cooperation. We can compete fiercely in some areas while collaborating deeply in others.

The Trump Legacy Opportunity​

Here's what could change everything: President Trump desires not just a successful presidency, but an unprecedented one—to be remembered as the greatest president of all time. What could be more unprecedented than being the president who transforms the US-China relationship from one of inevitable conflict to one of historic co-creation?

Imagine Trump proposing this vision directly to President Xi—not as weakness, but as strength. The president who everyone said would escalate tensions becomes the one who channels competition into collaboration. Nixon went to China; Trump could go beyond—he could build the future with China.

The sequential pathway is clear:

  1. Joe, Travis, and I align on the precise framing and approach to seed with shadow advisors
  2. Shadow advisors and trusted counselors understand how this serves Trump's legacy ambitions
  3. Key administration figures see this as the ultimate deal—bigger than any real estate project, more lasting than any trade agreement
  4. Trump himself recognizes this as his chance to do what no president has done: secure peace and prosperity through co-ambition rather than conflict
  5. Trump proposes it to Xi as his own vision, positioning both leaders as the architects of a new era

This isn't about changing Trump's instincts—it's about channeling them. His competitive drive, his desire to make deals, his ambition for an unparalleled legacy—all of these align perfectly with the co-ambition framework. He gets to be the president who solved the "unsolvable" problem.

Strategic Roadmap: Building Momentum Through Multiple Pathways​

Travis, Joe, as we chart the course from existential threat to shared prosperity, the key will be building momentum across multiple fronts simultaneously. Here's the strategic framework I believe we can spearhead:

Immediate (2025-2027): Proof of Concept

  • Align key stakeholders and approach Trump's shadow advisors
  • Launch America's 250th anniversary World's Fair (2026) as joint showcase
  • Break ground on first charter city (2027) as permanent laboratory

Accelerating (2027-2035): Scale and Replicate

  • Multiple World's Fairs globally demonstrating the vision
  • First charter cities operational with crypto-enabled shared equity
  • Other nations requesting to join the co-ambition framework

Transcendent (2035+): Cosmic Collaboration

  • Joint space projects including moon city collaboration
  • Established model for civilizational co-creation
  • Framework proven and expanding globally

The key is parallel development rather than sequential phases—World's Fairs showcasing what charter cities will become, while charter cities prove the economic model that makes space collaboration inevitable.

Practical Pathways Forward​

Travis, Joe, now let's drill down into how we bring this strategic roadmap to life. Here are the initial practical pathways we can develop together:

Some will dismiss this as idealistic, but I'm not advocating for the naive dissolution of boundaries or the pretense that our systems are the same. The CCP isn't going away, and neither is American republicanism. What we need isn't regime change—history shows us the chaos of power vacuums. What we need is organic evolution, led by visionaries in both nations who see co-ambition as strength, not surrender.

World's Fairs: The Vision Made Tangible

Before we build charter cities, we create World's Fairs—magnificent showcases of Sino-American co-ambition that millions can experience firsthand. Trump already promised a World's Fair for America's 250th anniversary in 2026—what if this became the first of many joint celebrations of what's possible when East and West create together?

Imagine World's Fairs in strategic zones where charter cities might eventually rise. These aren't just exhibitions; they're living previews of heaven on Earth—modern cathedrals to human potential, except far grander because entire cities will contain actual cathedrals within them while embodying so much more. They're monuments to truth, beauty, and goodness, harmonizing the best of Eastern and Western principles.

These Fairs would showcase:

  • Technologies that seem miraculous but are merely five years away
  • Architectural visions that blend Eastern harmony with Western innovation
  • Cultural experiences that celebrate both civilizations without diminishing either
  • Economic models where prosperity is shared, not hoarded
  • Educational systems that unlock human potential at unprecedented scale

Through these World's Fairs, millions of visitors from around the globe would experience firsthand what Sino-American co-ambition—this new meta-game of shared creation—could achieve over the next 25 years. They'd leave not just impressed, but converted—evangelists for a future too beautiful to resist.

Charter Cities: The Proving Ground

The real starting point isn't the moon—it's charter cities right here on Earth. Imagine creating new cities with joint equity interests between the US and China, and eventually expanding beyond to include other nations. These would be laboratories for the crypto-enabled shared prosperity model, the playing field where this new meta-game demonstrates its power, where every citizen of participating countries holds equity in the city's success. The first step could be assembling a coalition of visionary tech leaders, impact investors, and forward-thinking municipalities from both nations to scope the first pilot charter city, establishing foundational agreements on governance and shared data protocols.

These charter cities could pioneer new forms of governance, economic systems, and technological integration. When businesses thrive in these cities, when innovations emerge, when quality of life improves—the benefits flow directly to citizens across borders through blockchain-distributed equity. It's not just urban planning; it's civilizational design.

The beauty is that charter cities can start small and prove the model works. Success breeds success, and other nations would want to participate once they see the tangible benefits of co-ambition over competition.

Scaling to Symbolic Projects

Once we've proven the model works with charter cities, then we scale our ambition. Consider the moon city project already in flight with NASA and XPRIZE. They've identified 180 blockers to establishing a city on the moon. What if we could weave into their vision and help scale their ambition even further—making it the first great Sino-American co-creation of the 21st century? It's ambitious enough to capture imaginations, practical enough to drive innovation, and symbolic enough to shift narratives.

The Christofuturist Perspective​

As someone whose family's faith survived persecution—my great-grandfather was a Christian pastor in China, both grandfathers survived prison camps—I see divine possibility in reconciliation. My Christofuturist philosophy isn't about imposing beliefs but about recognizing that our highest ambitions often align when we look beyond immediate gain to eternal impact.

A Call to Co-Create​

This vision requires leaders who understand that true power comes not from domination but from the ability to create abundance for all. It requires technologists who see code as a means of encoding shared prosperity. It requires citizens who demand better than the tired narrative of inevitable conflict.

I'm building the networks to make this real—from DC to Beijing. The pieces are in place. The technology exists. The need is urgent.

The golden era of Sino-American co-ambition isn't just possible—it's necessary. And it starts with those of us crazy enough to believe that two great civilizations can choose co-creation over co-destruction.

Let's build the future our children deserve—one where American innovation and Chinese ambition combine to create something neither could achieve alone. The meta-game is ready to be created. Let's start that creative process soon.