Easy.....don't give them reason to see us as a threat. Our main goal must be to become a much wealthier and more powerful country, anything that derails us from track, such as intense conflicts, should be avoided.
Why bother to think too much about someone who does bad things to us. Retaliating also means that the person holds an "important status" in our lives, which is ridiculous. I apply this in my life and I feel more relaxed, despite external disturbances, while being able to focus on what's much more important, which is my own self-improvement.
The key is to "de-emphasize" a toxic person (or a country) to an extent that retaliation is a waste of time.