President Biden's China Policy - One Year Review
January 21, 2022
Twelve
months ago, Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the
United States. The world watched on, as the White House changed hands
and political parties, wondering how this administration would differ
from the last.
A year into the presidency and experts, politicians, media, and the public
alike are reflecting on Biden’s policies, accomplishments, and defeats.
President Biden, himself, spoke of the past year during a press
conference on January 19. [Full transcript]
Coverage has focused on the pandemic, the economy, political divisions,
the environment, Afghanistan, infrastructure development, and foreign
policy.
Special attention has also been given to Biden’s China policy. President
Biden made it clear early on that China would be a priority for his
administration. China was strongly present in Biden’s first State of the Union Address, his national security strategy, and in other policy statements. The administration has categorized China as a “strategic competitor,” and referred to its foreign policy as one where the U.S. will be “competitive when it should be, collaborative when it can be, and adversarial when it must be.”
The U.S.-China relationship has remained tense, with experts calling it “precarious.”
Still, many analysts have praised a return to a more “traditional”
foreign policy and increased engagement with global institutions and
allies, including the strengthening of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the
Quad). However, they also note that a host of other challenges for the
administration and a focus on domestic issues have slowed down progress
on China.
U.S.-China Policy Foundation president Chi Wang points out in a recent op-ed
that, despite strong messaging regarding China, a clear and
comprehensive China strategy is still missing. Amongst his observations,
he notes that the U.S. Ambassador to China has still not arrived in
Beijing. While the delay is partly due to roadblocks from the Senate, it
still took Biden seven months to nominate Nicholas Burns. A Foreign Affairs article,
while complementing certain aspects of Biden’s approach to China, also
strongly laments the lack of an “objective” and further points out the
key role such clear objectives play in cementing and directing policy
actions.
A major area of concern for China watchers remains economic and trade policy. It was only in October
that the U.S. Trade Representative shared preliminary takeaways from
the long awaited review of its trade policy toward China. Biden has also
indicated that he plans to create an “Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.”
In the meantime, however, other countries in the region have already
moved forward with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) without the U.S.
At the same time, the administration has left many aspects of the Trump era policies in place. Biden has still not lifted U.S. tariffs imposed under the Trump administration, despite numerous calls by business leaders and politicians to do so, and even comments by his own officials on the potential economic benefits of lowering tariffs. When asked about lifting tariffs in his January 19 press conference, he responded that “the answer is uncertain.” The Trump administration’s Phase One trade deal expired at the end of 2021.
Analysts have also pointed to the limitations placed on the Biden
administration by divisive domestic politics and a strong “Washington
consensus” on China. During the U.S.-China Policy Foundation’s virtual gala, both Dr. Robert Sutter and Congressman Rick Larsen discussed congressional opinion on China and its role in shaping China policy. Dr. Sutter also recently published an article
explaining how “Congress has remained at the center of the so-called
Washington consensus to end previous engagement in favor of strong
opposition to Beijing.” Congressman Larsen, who is co-chair of the
U.S.-China Working Group, released a China White Paper in December 2021.
Read More Articles on One Year of Biden's China Policy
An article in The Diplomat
analyzes the last year, discussing Biden’s foreign policy team, Biden’s
priorities, the Quad 2.0, the Washington consensus, and an absence of a
clear trade agenda.
China File compiled a timeline of U.S.-China Relations starting from Biden’s inauguration.
Foreign Policy released a “report card”
for Biden’s first year, sharing analysis and grades from various
regional experts. On China, Biden was given two “B’s” and an “A-”.
The Wilson Center outlined three main areas to watch in U.S.-China relations heading into 2022.
The Council of Foreign Relations ranked the “ten most significant world events in 2021,” which include Biden becoming president, the AUKUS (Australia, UK, U.S.) security partnership, and more.
An analysis by The German Marshall Fund looks at Biden’s first year from a transatlantic lens, including when analyzing U.S. China policy.
The Wall Street Journal published an in-depth analysis of Biden’s first year, focusing on whether he accomplished the various goals he had set.