America's third most powerful person, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left Taiwan on Friday after her highly publicized and controversial visit to the island group.
She leaves behind an even more difficult situation between China and Taiwan and the US respectively.
This is the opinion of Börje Ljunggren, former ambassador to China and now senior employee at the Institute for Foreign Policy.
- It creates great tension in an already strained relationship.
It is noticeable not least in how China acted afterwards, with the large military exercise, says Ljunggren.
China is becoming more powerful
Taiwan has been a pawn in US-China relations since the 1940s.
The US has supported the practically independent island group in various ways.
China, for its part, has always wanted to incorporate Taiwan back into China.
Right now, a shift in power is taking place, with China gaining an increasingly advanced place as a major power.
It is something that historically has been difficult for major powers to handle, and in many cases it has ended in military conflict, emphasizes Börje Ljunggren.
"Afraid of serious incidents"
At the same time, the countries have poor communication channels to avoid incidents.
- I fear that there will be more serious incidents over time, says Börje Ljunggren.
He sees a bleak future ahead of US-China relations.
- The relationship is doomed to be characterized by strategic mistrust.
It will persist and deepen.
At the same time, neither country wants to go to war, least of all a nuclear war.