Joe Biden: Expert discusses plan to ‘put pressure’ on China
President Biden made his first speech on his administration’s approach towards foreign policy this week. He distanced himself from his predecessor Donald Trump by suggesting that he wanted to re-establish the States’ place on the world stage. Mr Biden also acknowledged that China is the “most serious competitor” to the US, and promised: “We’ll confront China’s economic abuses, counter its aggressive, coercive actions and push back on China’s attack on human rights, intellectual property and global governance.”
He added that he intended to do this by strengthening the US at home, as well as working with “our allies and partners” to reclaim the States’ “credibility and moral authority”.
Despite promising to hold the growing Eastern superpower accountable, the new President also announced that the US is ready to “work with Beijing when it’s in America’s interest to do so”.
However, the Biden administration may face a mixture of reactions to his announcement, according to previous comments from the former director of research for George W Bush and commentator, Peter Rough.
In an exclusive exchange with Express.co.uk, Mr Rough explained: “There’s a group of progressives in the US that see the China threat as overblown.
“Some even identify shifting US attitudes as latent racism while others simply find great power competition as outdated relic.
“Better to focus on cooperation with China in areas like climate change, they argue.
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“Meanwhile, for the right, there are some neoliberals who are wedded to the idea that free trade is paramount, including with China.
“They view the system as fundamentally sound, even while acknowledging that China needs to be constrained.
“So these progressives and neoliberals are still for engagement.
“Having said that: the majority opinion among mainstream Democrats and a huge number of Republicans is that China is the new superpower challenger that has to be countered.
“That opinion has hardened in recent years and is set to continue under the Biden administration, especially given China’s behaviour.”
Indeed, tensions over China have already emerged within the White House just weeks into the new administration — although this due to external pressures.
Mr Biden had been hoping the EU would not sign its new deal with China, known as the Comprehensive Agreement Investment (CAI), until after he had officially been sworn into office.
Yet, the bloc went ahead and secured the deal in December — prompting fury from Washington, as the plans to have a united approach towards China now seemed undermined.
In a paper for the Hudson Institute published this month, Mr Rough also explained that the EU is likely to be pulled between the States and Beijing.
He pointed out: “The prospect of a Biden administration forging a common front with Europe deeply unsettled Beijing.
“The day after Joe Biden’s first phone call with Angela Merkel as President-elect, Xi Jinping followed-up with a conciliatory call to Berlin of his own.
“The purpose of his intervention?
“To give the CAI fresh impetus and split Europe from the United States.”
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Yet, the bloc went ahead and secured the deal in December — prompting fury from Washington, as the plans to have a united approach towards China now seemed undermined.
In a paper for the Hudson Institute published this month, Mr Rough also explained that the EU is likely to be pulled between the States and Beijing.
He pointed out: “The prospect of a Biden administration forging a common front with Europe deeply unsettled Beijing.
“The day after Joe Biden’s first phone call with Angela Merkel as President-elect, Xi Jinping followed-up with a conciliatory call to Berlin of his own.
“The purpose of his intervention?
“To give the CAI fresh impetus and split Europe from the United States.”
US needs to ‘accept China’s growing power’ says expert
But last year, the Trump administration seemed to back away from the impending trade war as the then-President signed a ‘Phase One’ trade deal, relaxing some tariffs.
However, it was not long until tensions returned over the pandemic, as Mr Trump began dubbing COVID-19 the “Chinese virus” and blamed Beijing for the disease’s spread.
Mr Trump seemed to cement his legacy as “tough on China” during his final weeks in the White House.
Chinese companies were added to the Commerce Department’s trade blacklist, the Director of National Intelligence dubbed the nation “the greatest threat to America today”, while visa rules were tightened for the members of the Chinese Community Party.
Mr Biden is expected to reset America’s relationship with China after Mr Trump’s departure, but it remains to be seen whether he will succeed.
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