CHINAMacroReporter

Biden China Policy: What We Know at the 100 Day Mark

Biden’s 100th day

Friday, April 30, marks 100 days of the Biden Presidency.On Thursday, President Biden gave a speech to a Joint Session of Congress that summed up many of policies – including those on China - as he nears the 100-day mark.And several major media outlets and think tanks are getting an early start on their analyses.Here's Senator Lindsey Graham: "I'm not very impressed with the first 100 days.”‘ "He's been a disaster on foreign policy.” ’‘ “Russia and China are already pushing him around, so I'm very worried." ’
by

|

ChinaDebate

April 29, 2021
Biden China Policy: What We Know at the 100 Day Mark

Friday, April 30, marks 100 days of the Biden Presidency.

  • On Thursday, President Biden gave a speech to a Joint Session of Congress that summed up many of policies – including those on China - as he nears the 100-day mark.
  • And several major media outlets and think tanks are getting an early start on their analyses.

Here's Senator Lindsey Graham: "I'm not very impressed with the first 100 days.”

  • ‘ "He's been a disaster on foreign policy.” ’
  • ‘ “Russia and China are already pushing him around, so I'm very worried." ’

The Chinese view is a bit more measured. The Chinese Communist Party-backed Global Times writes (in both its English- and Chinese-language editions):

  • ‘It will soon be the 100th day since Joe Biden took office.’
  • ‘Some have the reason to feel greatly disappointed about him while others think he is barely satisfactory.’

Paul Haenle of Carnegie-Tsinghua takes a bit of wait-and-see position:

  • ‘The Biden administration is using its first one hundred days to consolidate its leverage and try to establish the terms of prolonged strategic competition with China.’

David Dollar of Brookings goes a little further.

  • ‘In the first 100 days the emphasis has been on confrontation, with competition also being prominent.’

From the left, right, and China, the consensus seems to be that Biden is following Trump China policy:

  • Global Times: ‘Biden administration's China strategic definition is apparently a continuation of the Trump administration's perception of China. In the past 100 days, strategic competition between the US and China has not diminished.
  • Dollar: ‘When it comes to China, President Biden is largely continuing Donald Trump’s approach.’
  • Haenle: ‘Joe Biden and his administration’s early actions and statements indicate little desire to revert to a policy of engagement with China. The administration, much like the one before it, views China as a “strategic competitor” and is intent on implementing policies to better compete with Beijing.’

But Mr. Biden’s continuing Trump China policy could be a problem.

  • ‘The most important question that US President Joe Biden’s administration needs to ask in formulating its China policy is a simple one:’

‘Was Donald Trump right or wrong on China?,’ says Kishore Mahbubani in his essay, ‘Was Trump Right or Wrong on China? Biden’s Answer Will Shape the Future,’

  • ‘Right now, the overwhelming consensus in Washington is that even if he was wrong on everything else, Trump was right on China.’
  • ‘There is therefore a real danger that the Biden administration will retain many elements of Trump’s policies toward China.’
  • ‘If so, America is heading toward a disaster.’

Mr. Mahbubani is no doubt right.

  • But even though Mr. Biden is for now continuing much of Mr. Trump’s China policy, the nuances (explained in several posts below) make the execution and impact vastly difference.

And, we have to keep into perspective: 100 days is just 100 days.

  • And Mr. Biden has never explicitly said which Trump policies on China he will continue or abandon – if any.
  • Or even articulated his own comprehensive China policy.

‘Despite his stated desire to change the U.S. approach toward Beijing, Biden has been hesitant to quickly undo several of his predecessor’s China policies,’ writes Dr. Haenle.

  • ‘Instead, he has opted to conduct thorough strategic reviews within several federal departments and agencies, including the Department of Defense and the U.S. Trade Representative.’
  • Until these are done, digested and acted on , we are getting ahead of ourselves in forming hard conclusions about China policy going forward.

‘The president is setting the table for a series of negotiations that allow for competition, confrontation, and cooperation while minimizing the risk of conflict,’ writes Dr. Haenle.

  • Setting the table is not eating the meal.

In any case, as Mr. Biden hits and exceeds the 100-day mark, more comments and analyses will flow in, and Biden China policy (and all his other policies to boot) will generate the same Rashomon-effect.

  • In reading any of these, follow your Mother’s advice: Consider the source.

To get you started, today’s issue has posts, including those by Drs. Dollar and Haenle, that explain:

  • What Mr. Biden had to say about China in his speech to Congress, and what the Chinese said in reaction, and
  • What we can learn about Biden China policy after 100 days.

More

CHINAMacroReporter

April 2, 2023
Xi Jinping: 'Change unseen for a 100 years is coming.'
Time went of joint in the mid-1800s when China began its ‘Century of Humiliation.’ And Mr. Xi, with a sense of destiny, seems to feel he was born to set it right. (I very much doubt that Mr. Xi would add: ‘O cursed spite’ – he seems to relish his role and the shot it gives him to go down in history as China’s greatest ruler.)
keep reading
January 2, 2023
Xi Jinping: Bad Emperor?
Some have asked me what will be the greatest risk to China in the next five years. My answer: That Xi Jinping will overstep and enact policies that Chinese people won’t accept, especially those that have a direct impact on their lives and livelihoods.
keep reading
November 22, 2022
'Strangling with an intent to kill.’
I began to have some hope of getting our act together with Mr. Biden. He worked to rebuild relations with allies who could join the U.S. in the competition. And he understood the need for America to strengthen itself for competition. Hence, the infrastructure, CHIPS, and other acts. But whether Mr. Trump or Mr. Biden, one thing nagged me beyond all the rest. Why is America strengthening our competitor? — In the instant case: Why is America giving our competitor advanced semiconductor resources to strengthen itself to compete against us?
keep reading
January 13, 2021
Kurt Campbell & Biden Asia Policy
In today’s issue: 1. Kurt Campbell: Biden's 'Indo-Pacific Coordinator' / 2. 'How America Can Shore Up Asian Order' by Kurt Campbell
keep reading
January 9, 2021
'Matt Pottinger resigns, but his China strategy is here to stay'
‘Even though Pottinger’s name was largely unknown to the public, his influence on U.S. foreign policy will be felt for years to come.’
keep reading
January 9, 2021
'The Relevant Organs' Pro Tip: 'You Definitely Need a Show Trial'
Spitballing here, GOP friends, but Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson and Marjorie Taylor-Greene would make an excellent Gang of Four, if you need a show trial.
keep reading
January 9, 2021
How the Chinese reacted to the incident at the Capitol
In this issue: 1. China Reacts / ‘On Double Standards’ - 'Chinese netizens jeer riot in US Capitol as "Karma," say bubbles of "democracy and freedom" have burst' - 'A Few Tweets from Hu Xijin 胡锡进, Editor of The Global Times' / 2. ‘Architect of Trump China Policy Resigns’ - 'Matt Pottinger resigns, but his China strategy is here to stay' / 3. A Pro Tip from 'The Relevant Organs' - 'Dealing with Insurrectionist Leaders the Chinese Way'
keep reading
January 9, 2021
'On Double Standards'
‘Besides, facts are there, beyond anyone's denial, regardless of whether they came up in the Chinese media reports or not.’
keep reading
January 6, 2021
'Mo money, Ma problems - Chinese trustbusters’ pursuit of Alibaba is only the start'
'Chinese trustbusters long resisted hobbling an industry seen as world-beating, and backed in Beijing. Now, as in the West, they fret that a few giants control indispensable services—e-commerce, logistics, payments, ride-hailing, food delivery, social media, messaging.’
keep reading
January 6, 2021
'Mo Money, Ma Problems'
In today’s issue: 1. Eurasia Group| ‘Top Risks of 2021’ / 2. Biden & the EU-China Investment Agreement / 3. The EU-China Investment Agreement: Pro & Con / 4. China's Antitrust Investigation into AliBaba
keep reading
January 6, 2021
PRO | 'The Importance of the EU, China Investment Deal'
‘But we should not have waited for the Biden administration to sort things out. Wait for what? We don't know if China will be more responsive if the three parties sit together. We don't have a timeline. Shall we wait another two or three years?’
keep reading
January 6, 2021
'China and E.U. Leaders Strike Investment Deal, but Political Hurdles Await'
‘China appeared eager to reach an agreement before Mr. Biden takes office in January, calculating that closer economic ties with the Europeans could forestall efforts by the new administration to come up with an allied strategy for challenging China’s trade practices and other policies.’
keep reading
January 6, 2021
'China’s Pro-Monopoly Antitrust Crusade'
‘But Chinese regulators are unlikely to stop at Alibaba; China’s entire private sector has a target on its back.’
keep reading
January 6, 2021
‘Top Risks of 2021’: CHINA
'Overall, this year will experience an expansion of a high level of US-China tensions.'
keep reading
January 6, 2021
CON | 'Europe has handed China a strategic victory'
“We’ve allowed China to drive a huge wedge between the US and Europe.”
keep reading
January 6, 2021
'With Concessions and Deals, China’s Leader Tries to Box Out Biden'
‘Mr. Biden has pledged to galvanize a coalition to confront the economic, diplomatic and military challenges that China poses. China clearly foresaw the potential threat.’
keep reading
January 5, 2021
'Sansha City in China's South China Sea Strategy: Building a System of Administrative Control'
‘Sansha City, headquartered on Woody Island in the Paracel Islands, has created a system of party-state institutions that have normalized administrative control in the South China Sea. This system ultimately allows China to govern contested areas of the South China Sea as if they were Chinese territory.’
keep reading
January 1, 2021
Competition With China Could Be Short and Sharp
‘The bad news is that over the next five to ten years, the pace of Sino-American rivalry will be torrid, and the prospect of war frighteningly real, as Beijing becomes tempted to lunge for geopolitical gain.’ / ‘Historically, the most desperate dashes have come from powers that had been on the ascent but grew worried that their time was running short.’
keep reading
October 7, 2020
'Rivers of Iron': Changing the Face of Asia
‘But what's happened now is that Southeast Asia is rich enough to contemplate such infrastructure and that the Chinese have the technology, money, and high-speed rail industry so that they can both finance or help finance and build it.’
keep reading
August 27, 2020
Why China's Economy is Growing Faster than Others
‘First is China's relatively aggressive and decisive measures on the COVID public health crisis itself that managed to get the pandemic under control much faster than the other large economies.’ ‘The relative success in controlling the pandemic translates into how much people are willing to go back to their normal lives, to their jobs, and the like.’
keep reading
May 20, 2020
The Chinese Communist Party Fears Ending Up Like the Soviet Union
‘The propaganda ministry - within four to six weeks - managed to turn China into a problem for Europeans. China’s standing in Europe is eroding by the day.'
keep reading
May 13, 2020
The Party is Infallible
'The Hong Kong demonstrations can never be because of policy mistakes by the Communist Party itself.’ During our interview, Tony Saich of the Harvard Kennedy School told me: ‘Hong Kong, with its responses to the demonstrations, and the Coronavirus are both illustrative examples of how the culture of the Communist Party and the traditions it's built up over almost a hundred years reflect the way it behaves when it's confronted by certain crises.’
keep reading
May 6, 2020
The Phase One Trade Deal
‘The good news is that 80% of our members said they thought the Phase One agreement was a good thing.' 'But only 19% said it was worth it.' 'What the 80% said they are happy about was that there no more new tariffs were coming immediately.’
keep reading
May 2, 2020
South China Sea & Taiwan
'It would not be accurate to say China claims the entire South China Sea as its sovereign territory because the Chinese are unclear about what exactly their claim is and what it is based on.'
keep reading
April 29, 2020
Why Inflation Should Not Be A Problem
‘This is a crisis where the first chair is held by the public health officials, and the second chair is held by the fiscal authorities. We at the Fed have the freedom to be able to move relatively quickly, but we're the third chair here, trying to help out where we can.’
keep reading
April 25, 2020
China, America, & the 'Jaws Syndrome'
‘Both Trump and Xi have a fundamental political divide problem that the COVID-19 epidemic has exposed and made more apparent – and made substantially worse.’
keep reading
April 22, 2020
Why We Need Stronger Global Institutions
‘The trade war was actually about the dissemination of knowledge, knowledge transfer, technological transfer.’ ‘A great irony. We need global institutions or arrangements to deal with trade, technology, and health because individuals, corporations, and national governments cannot.’
keep reading
April 18, 2020
The Pandemic's Impact on Trade
‘There are some people who would say that there was already a retreat from globalization underway.’ ‘The tools of globalization - enormous reductions in the cost of transportation and communication - remain.’ ‘But the marginal utility actually of further advances is declining – that would be one way to put it.’
keep reading
April 11, 2020
The Pandemic May Increase China's Economic Strength vis-à-vis the U.S.
‘Well, I think people around the world are rightly suspicious of the Chinese as they are probably equally suspicious of the Americans.'
keep reading
April 30, 2018
'Big lessons from the faulty analysis that spiked the Shanghai stock market'
ProTips from Andrew Polk, Trivium China On April 24, equity analysts interpreted a phrase used in a Politburo meeting readout to signal a new round of economic stimulus. And, the Shanghai stock market, one of the world's worst performers, spiked 2%. On April 25, having much earlier advised and protected clients, Andrew Polk of Trivium China published an analysis in Trivium's daily (and free) Later, Andrew and I talked about how he reached his conclusions. His explanation is a masterclass in how experience, discipline, and some tedious slogging, combined with a sound analytical framework, lead to good China analysis.
keep reading
April 18, 2018
New super-agency, National Supervision Commission—and China's massive government restructuring
'With government restructuring, the biggest thing is the creation of an entirely new branch of government: the National Supervisory Commission. Its entire job is to overlook every single public official in China. It is an institutionalization and deepening of the corruption crackdown that we've seen over the past few years.'In all, Andrew highlighted four major actions from the Two Sessions: 1.Chinese government restructuring 2.The policy roadmap 3.Personnel 4.The legislative agenda + the constitutional amendments
keep reading
April 16, 2018
The Chinese Government’s 9 Economic Policy Priorities in 2018 (and beyond)
[China Econ Observer] 1.Supply-side Structural Reform 2.Innovation 3.The “three critical battles” 4.Deepening reforms 5.Rural revitalization 6.The regional development strategy 7.Increasing consumption and improving investment 8.Opening up 9.People’s wellbeing
keep reading
April 10, 2018
U.S.-China trade dispute: Will China Weaponize the RMB and U.S. Treasury bonds?
U.S.-China trade war: collateral damageConsider the soy bean. 'China is threatened retaliatory tariffs on U.S. soybeans. The U.S. is one of the largest producers of soybeans. If China's not going to buy them, we're going to have an excess capacity.'' So, last week, we saw a soybean selloff.''But there was a complete dislocation in whole soybean supply chains. Downstream products, like soybean oil, didn't move at all in the same way.'
keep reading
April 5, 2018
Behind the U.S.-China trade dispute: 'The West's China gamble has failed.'
What's the root cause of the current friction between the U.S. and China? The West's disappointment that China did follow the western model but its own, argues Ed Tse, CEO of Gao Feng Advisory Company (a member of the China Analyst Network). [Ed's solution] look to the similarities between China and the West, especially in the tech sector, and be alert to China's evolution toward better IPR, market access, and other contentious issues, not just the remaining shortcomings. Below is a video of my discussion with Ed and excerpts from both the interview and his South China Morning Post op-ed, 'Chinese innovation with US characteristics? Maybe China and the West aren’t that far apart, in business at least.' Ed presents insights that differ greatly from the China Echo Chamber in the U.S. Let me know what you think.
keep reading
March 8, 2018
How Trump's tariffs impact China's trade/currency relations with Japan & Korea
[China markets update with TRACK's Bob Savage] 'The currency markets are embroiled in trying to figure out whether the Trump tariffs on steel and aluminum are good or bad for the U.S. economy and the U.S. stock market.'
keep reading

Heading

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.