Relations between the United States and China are at a low point in the post-Trump era, and almost three weeks into his term President biden
Joe BidenDOJ rejects lawsuit against author of Melania Trump’s revealing book. Google expands electoral security assistance for federal and state campaigns. has not yet spoken to his Beijing counterpart, President Xi Jinping.
Biden promised to take a different approach to China President Trump
Donald TrumpDOJ will resign the majority of U.S. prosecutors appointed by Trump: report Trump’s lawyer withdraws request not to hold impeachment trial on Saturday Kinzinger on opinion calls to Republican Party senators to convict Trump on impeachment trial, who campaigned against China’s trade policies and then blamed Beijing for the coronavirus that devastated the U.S. economy in the year of Trump’s re-election.
“I will not do as Trump did,” Biden said of his approach to Beijing in an interview with CBS on Sunday. “We are going to focus on international traffic rules.”
Biden is facing strong pressure to take a tough stance in Beijing, with Republicans already telegraphing that it will be a problem in the mid-term elections of 2022 – and probably in the presidential elections of 2024.
But the president also said that he is willing to cooperate with Beijing when it is in the US interest.
This includes efforts to defeat COVID-19, tackle climate change, expand nuclear non-proliferation – in particular, bringing Iran back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement and controlling North Korea’s nuclear threat – and, more recently, restore democracy in Myanmar after the military coup.
Tensions between the two countries are high in the post-Trump era, partly because of the rhetoric of the former president – who repeatedly called COVID-19 the “China virus”, referring to the fact that the first cases were identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan – but also because lawmakers from both parties are criticizing Beijing over a series of policies that affect the economy and national security.
Tensions more recently spread to the South China Sea after Beijing denounced the joint exercises of two groups of US carriers, calling it a U.S. attempt to “flex its muscles” in the region that undermines “peace and stability. “.
The comments followed Beijing’s earlier frustration with the United States when an American warship sailed near China-controlled islands in the waters, where several regional countries made claims.
The 7th US fleet said the move was a “freedom of navigation operation”, but the Chinese military accused the United States of violating China’s sovereignty and security.
However, Chinese officials have also repeatedly called for “no confrontation, no conflict, mutual respect and win-win cooperation” with the US
Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Biden was critical in his foreign policy speech last week against Chinese policies – where he said the American leadership must face “China’s ambitions to rival China. the United States “- but that the president and his team were in no hurry to get involved with Beijing.
“They have other priorities, including coordinating with allies and partners,” she wrote in an email to The Hill.
“In the meantime, the Chinese are sending the message that they want to improve bilateral ties, but only if it is in Chinese terms. There has not yet been a serious conversation between the two countries about how to manage their differences or how to cooperate on issues where they can have common ground. ”
Biden said in his interview on Sunday with CBS that there was no reason not to “call” Xi and that the two have “a lot to talk about”.
The president said he does not seek conflict between the two nations, but warned that “there will be extreme competition”.
State Secretary Antony Blinken
Antony BlinkenColombia will register thousands of Venezuelan migrants in an attempt to give them legal residence is the highest-ranking American official to date speaking to the Chinese, in a call last week with a senior Chinese Communist Party official and diplomat Yang Jiechi.
The conversation focused mainly on the adversary aspects of the relationship, with the secretary raising the issue of human rights abuses in Tibet, Hong Kong and Xinjiang. On the latter issue, the secretary sided with the Trump administration for its determination that China is committing genocide against Muslim Uighurs and other ethnic groups.
Blinken also pressured China to condemn the military coup in Myanmar.
So far, Beijing has refrained from calling the military coup a coup, although it has adhered to a United Nations Security Council statement calling for the restoration of democratic rule in the country and the release of detained and democratically elected government officials.
Both Blinken and national security advisor Jake Sullivan
Jake SullivanOvernight Defense: Biden announces end of US support for offensive operations in Yemen | Pentagon calls for wearing a mask inside and outside the house | Military deaths of COVID increasing Biden: USA taking ‘urgent’ steps to improve cybersecurity Biden condemns Navalny prison in Russia MORE, who did not speak to any Chinese official, made connections with allies in Europe and Asia about confronting threats from China.
Sullivan had previously said that it is a priority to be on the same page with the allies on how to deal with Beijing during an event with the United States Institute of Peace last month.
“I think China is at the top of the list of things we have to work on together and where there is work to be done to stay fully aligned,” he said.
Sullivan also said the United States must be prepared to impose costs on Beijing for its human rights abuses, but gave no details on those measures.
Even so, Republicans are laying the groundwork to press Biden harder to make it tough on Beijing. They are particularly critical of China’s influence in the World Health Organization.
Biden returned to the global body on his first day in office, reversing Trump’s departure from the organization in July due to criticism that Beijing did not face over the spread of COVID-19.
Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) E Josh Hawley
Joshua (Josh) David HawleyOvernight Defense: Pentagon says extremist groups ‘recruit troops very aggressively’ | Capitol Guard deployment estimated at 3M | No US combat deaths in Afghanistan for a year | VA Secretary confirms that the Senate confirms Denis McDonough to lead the VA under the impeachment of Biden’s ‘prisoner dilemma’ The GOP MORE (R-Mo.) It took advantage of these criticisms on Tuesday, introducing legislation that aims to withhold US funds from WHO. Their statement came after the launch of a WHO investigation that they criticized for not addressing Beijing’s role in spreading the virus.
“WHO’s mission is to bring public health information to the world so that each country can make the best decisions to keep its citizens safe,” said Scott in a statement. “WHO has not only failed in its mission, but it has failed the world with regard to the coronavirus. They served as puppets for the Chinese Communist Party – repeating misinformation and helping Communist China to cover up a global pandemic ”.
The introduction of the bill coincided with the release by WHO of preliminary results of an investigation into the origins of COVID-19 in China, which found that the disease “probably” originated in animals before jumping on humans, although it did not assess the shortcomings of the global response.
Hawley, who is considered a potential candidate for the presidency in 2024, criticized the WHO for prioritizing “the interests of the Chinese Communist Party in relation to building a healthier world”.
Sen. Tom Cotton
Tom Bryant CottonOvernight Defense: Pentagon says extremist groups ‘recruit troops very aggressively’ | Capitol Guard deployment estimated at 3M | No US combat deaths in Afghanistan for a year | VA Secretary confirms that the Senate confirms Denis McDonough to lead the VA under the impeachment of Biden’s ‘prisoner dilemma’ The GOP MORE (R-Ark.), Also a potential presidential candidate, tweeted in response to the investigation that “[for] over a year ago, apologists for the Chinese Communist Party in [the WHO] tried to discover the origins of the coronavirus. “
Former United States Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley
Nikki HaleyBiden’s administration announces plans to rejoin the UN human rights council The US will rejoin the UN human rights council: report 5 lawyers leave Trump’s impeachment team before trial, yet another possible Republican presidential candidate, also criticized the WHO investigation, tweeting that it should have focused on “when China learned” about the coronavirus “and why they kept it away from the rest of the world …”
Sen. Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin GrahamDOJ seeks the resignation of most US prosecutors appointed by Trump: report Lawmakers place blame on Trump for the disturbances as the second impeachment trial approaches – Trump’s impeachment trial, stimulus dominates MORE (RS.C.), in an interview with CBS Meet the Press on Sunday, warned against Biden to throw out Trump’s foreign wholesale policies, including those related to China.
“I would slow down if I were President Biden and reevaluate some of these Trump policies and keep them in place if they made sense,” he said.