BIG IDEA | ‘Many Chinese now believe that the Biden administration could be more detrimental to U.S.-China relations than the Trump administration.’

‘In their view, the Biden administration’s strategic approach to create an anti- China alliance and its ideological appeal to countries around the world to characterize the Chinese government as a genocidal regime, have backed China into a corner.’

‘President Biden has indeed reversed some of the above policies; for example, he used executive orders to ban the use of phrases like “Chinese virus” or “Kung Flu” and to condemn the racial profiling of Chinese Americans and Asian Americans.’

• ‘But most of the aforementioned policies of the Trump team have remained.’
• ‘The now well-known comment by China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, to his American counterparts–– “we thought too well of you”–– has reaffirmed the widespread sentiment in China prior to the Anchorage dialogue that “there is no essential difference between the Biden team and the Trump team.” ’

‘Many Chinese now believe that the Biden administration could be more detrimental to U.S.-China relations than the Trump administration.’

• ‘In their view, the Biden administration’s strategic approach to create an anti- China alliance and its ideological appeal to countries around the world to characterize the Chinese government as a genocidal regime, have backed China into a corner.’

‘Beijing’s greatest concern is the Biden administration’s position regarding Taiwan.’

• ‘The fact that the representative of Taiwan to the United States was invited to attend the inauguration ceremony of President Biden, an act unprecedented since the establishment of U.S.-China diplomatic relations in 1979, was a bad omen for the Chinese government.’

‘Chinese commentators have recently observed that four moves by the Biden administration have greatly escalated tensions across the Taiwan Strait:’

• ‘the U.S. forcibly engaging Japan and Australia in preparations for military intervention in the region;
• ‘the U.S. and Taiwan signing a maritime patrol agreement to encourage Taiwan’s military to participate in Indo-Pacific security affairs through maritime patrols;’
• ‘the issuing of guidelines encouraging “official exchanges” between the U.S. and Taiwan; and
• ‘the U.S. ambassador to Palau joining the Palau president for an official visit to Taiwan.’

‘Unsurprisingly, in PRC media, aggressive anti-American rhetoric has reached a new high, resulting from what the Chinese have called “U.S. provocative conduct to challenge Beijing’s redline.” ’

• ‘In terms of tensions over the Taiwan Strait, many observers believe that the risk of military conflict has increased during the Biden administration, as previously described.’