A Clear Contrast: Biden’s China Policy Delivers for the American People

February 2024

 

The American people are clear that they want an approach to the U.S.-China relationship that balances protecting the country from potential threats like espionage, intellectual property theft, and the spread of fentanyl, but at the same time, one that avoids direct confrontation and can reduce tensions and avoid conflict.

In responding to these challenges, voters overwhelmingly agree that the U.S. approach towards China should be smart, firm, and diplomatic. They believe that an effective China strategy boosts our competitive edge at home while strengthening our alliances and partnerships abroad. They also think that it requires clear-eyed diplomacy to secure our interests while decreasing the likelihood that misunderstandings lead to crises.

Just look at the numbers:

  • 78% of Americans say our leaders should focus more on working to avoid a military conflict with China.

  • A clear majority (73%) says the U.S. should hold high-level diplomatic talks with China.

  • Only 13% want an aggressive approach and a mere 5% want a confrontational one.

  • By a 16-point margin, voters are more concerned about the risk that growing tensions could escalate into conflict than about the perception that the U.S. is not being strong enough or standing up to China (58% to 42%).

President Biden is pursuing precisely this strategy. He is committed to protecting our national interests through dogged diplomacy, and adamant that competition does not have to lead to conflict, confrontation, or a new Cold War. Contrast his record with that of Donald Trump, whose erratic, antagonistic, and isolationist policies harmed American workers, undermined our alliances, and called into question our commitment to our values.

A brief examination of their actions while in office bears that out:

Investing at Home to Achieve Economic Independence:

  • Biden delivered a nearly $275 billion investment in U.S. innovation. The CHIPS and Science Act, signed into law on August 9, 2022, bolsters semiconductor manufacturing at home and counters China’s economic influence – a direct investment in American competitiveness. The bill delivered $53 billion in direct investment from the US Government, and spurred an additional $220 billion of investment in private capital just four months after becoming law.

  • Trump made the semiconductor crisis worse. Trump’s trade war with China dramatically cut the number of semiconductors available in the U.S., and undermined domestic semiconductor manufacturing, which exacerbated the semiconductor shortage and caused ripple effects throughout the economy.

Protecting American Economic Interests at Home:

  • Biden tightened export controls on semiconductor chips to prevent China from illegally acquiring American intellectual property. The Administration’s export controls are designed to protect technologies that have clear national security implications and to prevent the theft of American intellectual property.

  • Under Trump, 1 in 5 companies had their IP stolen by China. While Trump talked tough, often bragging about his trade war with China, his policies did nothing to prevent the Chinese companies from stealing intellectual property from American companies.

Keeping Americans Safe from the Scourge of Fentanyl:

  • Biden reached an historic agreement with Xi Jinping on fentanyl precursors – directly addressing one of American voters’ top concerns. During the November Biden-Xi summit, the leaders agreed China would stem the export of items related to the production of the opioid fentanyl, a leading cause of drug overdoses in the United States. “It’s going to save lives,” Biden said, adding he appreciated Xi’s “commitment” on the issue. Under the agreement, China will go directly after specific chemical companies that make fentanyl precursors, a senior U.S. official told reporters.

  • By contrast, synthetic opioid overdose deaths soared while Donald Trump was president, with the average annual growth rate of drug overdose deaths from synthetic opioids reaching 31% while Trump was president.

Engaging in Diplomacy to Prevent Conflict:

  • Biden is deeply committed to preventing conflict, and has communicated that to Xi directly. During their hours-long meeting in November 2023, Biden told Xi: “I think it’s paramount that you and I understand each other clearly, leader-to-leader, with no misconceptions or miscommunications. We have to ensure competition does not veer into conflict.”

  • While U.S.-China relations were severely strained at the beginning of 2023, Biden successfully reopened communication between the two countries’ militaries. His achievement took months of diplomatic engagement at the highest levels of government. Ahead of the November meeting, “both sides agreed to reestablish military-to-military channels to bolster transparency and avoid potentially dangerous miscalculations.”

  • In contrast, Trump’s trade war escalated tensions and harmed the U.S. economy. Trump’s obsession with appearing tough led to a disastrous trade war between the U.S. and China, which spilled over into other disputes between the two countries.

  • Trump’s ineffective diplomacy led to the most hostile period of U.S.-China relations in decades. When Trump’s personal dealmaking failed with China, he turned instead to hostile rhetoric, and the bilateral relationship quickly eroded in dangerous ways, heightening the risks of conflict.

Building Strong Alliances to Protect Peace

  • Biden inked a historic security partnership for the Indo-Pacific region between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. AUKUS will develop and provide joint advanced military capabilities to promote security and stability in the region. The trilateral agreement relies on diplomatic, security and defense cooperation between the three allies to serve as a counterbalance to China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific.

  • Trump’s isolationism damaged U.S. alliances in the Indo-Pacific. Trump believes that alliances are a form of geopolitical welfare. He retreated from the world and damaged our alliances, undermining a major source of U.S. strength. During his presidency, Trump seriously damaged the relationship between the U.S. and  two important allies in the region: South Korea and Japan.

Given these stark differences, it should come as no surprise that the vast majority of voters (80-90%) support the Biden Administration’s actions towards China, especially strengthening law enforcement against industrial espionage, investing in key industries at home, reducing our economic reliance on China, building up our alliances in the Indo-Pacific region, and pursuing diplomacy to reduce the risks of miscalculation and conflict.

President Biden's administration is overwhelmingly delivering on those priorities. MAGA Republicans would only succeed in rolling back critical progress that the American people support. The American people want Biden’s smart diplomacy, not Trump’s dangerous bluster.