On Thursday, February 4, U.S. President Joe Biden delivered his first State Department address on foreign policy since taking office. Speaking on China, Biden called China “the most serious competitor” of the United States and opposed the “coercive actions” of the Chinese Communist Party, but he also said that the United States is willing to work with Beijing because “it is in the interest of the United States to do so. It is in the interest of the United States to do so.
In his speech, Biden said, “We will deal directly with the most serious competitor that poses a challenge to our prosperity, security and democratic values – the Chinese (Communist) Republic.” He said the U.S. will confront the economic ills brought by the Chinese (Communist) state and oppose its coercive actions, while also returning the favor by attacking human rights, intellectual property rights and global governance, but “we are willing to work with Beijing, and it is in the interest of the United States to do so.”
He also said the new U.S. leadership must confront a new authoritarian era and deal with Chinese (communist) ambitions to compete with the United States, as well as with Russian attempts to challenge U.S. democracy.
Since taking office on Jan. 20, Biden has not revealed much about his attitude toward the Chinese Communist Party, and on Jan. 25, a White House spokesman said at a press conference that while the Communist Party poses a clear challenge to the United States, the Biden Administration will use a strategy of “strategic patience” to deal with it.
New Secretary of State Antony Blinken told senators during his confirmation hearing that he thought former President Trump was “right” to take a tougher stance on Beijing.
In a Feb. 1 interview with MSNBC, Blinken said China poses “the most significant challenge” to the United States. He also criticized Beijing for not being transparent enough with the international community in dealing with the Communist virus outbreak. However, he also said, “The U.S.-China relationship is a complex one, with aspects of antagonism, aspects of competition, and also aspects of cooperation.”
Former Secretary of State John Kerry, a member of the Biden administration’s National Security Council, and China coordinator Kurt Campbell have very different perceptions of how to approach the Chinese Communist Party, the Wall Street Journal reported Feb. 3. Kerry wants to work with China on climate issues, while Campbell wants the White House to push back hard against the Communist Party.
China Daily analyzes that the National Security Council is composed of members with left-leaning views, which is likely to divide the Biden administration’s China Policy and thus be used by Beijing.
Former U.S. Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said the Biden administration should not adopt a strategy of patience with the Chinese Communist Party, but should take aggressive action to counter it.
In a recent interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also called on the Biden administration to fully understand the threat from the Chinese Communist Party and urged it to stop appeasing it.
Pompeo said, “I think they know, I think they see, and I hope they get it right.” “Backing down will not cause the Chinese Communist Party to change its direction or its course. Quite the contrary, they need to see fierce resistance and the ability to demonstrate the ability to make them pay.” He added.
He added: “The next administration has a responsibility, a serious responsibility, to continue to tell the Chinese Communist Party that we are not going to go back to the appeasement policies of the last 40 or 50 years.”
Recent Comments