Due to a sudden and unexpected movement of tectonic plates, the United States and China have switched geographic locations. The United States is now located in East Asia; sharing borders with Russia, North Korea, India, Mongolia, Vietnam, etc., and is much closer to Japan. China is now located in North America between Canada and Mexico. Assume that the central features of two societies are unchanged (i.e., each state faces this surprising situation with the same population it has today, along with the same natural resource endowments, military capabilities, economic systems, political institutions, etc.).
The question: how would this development affect contemporary international relations?
Hint: Focus on how this shift would affect broad patterns of global politics and do not get bogged down on details, such as where the Yangtze or Mississippi Rivers would flow or how this might disrupt existing railway connections.
