Douglas H. Paal

Opinion | Why Joe Biden’s first order of business should be America, not China

Rebuilding America’s competitiveness at home and leadership abroad should be top priority for the next president. China must come later – when the US has regained its strength – and the focus should be on a return to routine

Reading Time:4 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

Douglas H. Paal

Published: 1:30am, 20 Nov 2020Updated: 3:59am, 20 Nov 2020

Everyone learns, sooner or later, when doing business with Communist China, that it is better to be in a strong position if you hope for any measure of success.

Raw power trumps the law, justice, ethics and even friendships. The strength of the Chinese economy, its growing regional military strength, and effective management of the pandemic have showed its neighbours how mercilessly it can deploy its strengths to get its way.

As the transition from Donald Trump to Joe Biden proceeds in less than optimal fashion, the first order of business for America is regaining strength. In a column before the United States elections, I noted that successful presidents usually do best when they attempt only two or three major objectives in their first terms.

Now we know that Biden will also be beginning without the benefit of a friendly majority in the Senate, his need to focus narrowly is all the more crucial.

04:35

‘Welcome back America’: world leaders react to Joe Biden’s victory in US elections

Biden is already signalling his intention to tackle the dominant issues of the campaign: grappling with the pandemic, boosting the economy and addressing racial injustice. He needs to restore internal processes that will permit his administration to stay focused on these goals and cannot afford to be uselessly diverted.