U.S. and Chinese flags on display before U.S.-China trade negotiations in Beijing in February 2019.

How does a Cold War begin? In Washington, an accumulation of anti-Beijing animus hangsmlike a dark cloud over the capital. Before the pandemic, there was no shortage of experts warning of emergent fault lines between the United States and China. That sense of a looming clash between the 21st century’s heavyweights has only accelerated since the novel coronavirus paralyzed much of the world. In an interview aired Thursday morning by the right-wing Fox Business Network, President Trump floated the idea that the United States “could cut off the whole relationship” with China in the aftermath of the pandemic, in reference to discussions over the lingering trade differences between both countries. He also argued that the economic toll of the pandemic offered further proof that the United States needed to do more to disconnect itself from global supply chains that thread through China. Trump is not alone in this tough talk—and some of his lieutenants and allies are even harsher. Republican senators are pushing sanctions and new legislation aimed at punishing China for its alleged role in covering up the initial stages of the outbreak. The State Department curtailed visas for Chinese journalists operating in the United States, as part of an ongoing tit-for-tat with Beijing that uses work permits for foreign correspondents as diplomatic game pieces.