Why aren’t China and America more afraid of a war?

In Chinese diplomacy it is an argument-ending insult to accuse a foreign power of a “cold-war mentality”. Such scorn is unfair to the original cold war. That confrontation saw America and allies seek to thwart and subvert the Soviet Union and its satellites in every domain short of direct superpower conflict. The resulting contest was terrifying, often irrational and marked by shameful acts on each side. But on a few specific occasions—for instance, the Cuban missile crisis of 1962—the prospect of nuclear annihilation inspired leaders on each side to a rare seriousness of purpose.