Chi Wang

Opinion | Biden is running out of time to implement his China policy. First he must decide what it is

The US president has made it clear he wants to compete with China, but while his rhetoric has united Democrats and Republicans, it has done little else

With no China expertise within his team or any chance to meet Xi face to face, Biden’s China policy is suffering and his window of opportunity narrowing

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Chi Wang

Published: 1:30am, 17 Jan 2022

Nearly one year into the administration of President Joe Biden, those looking for clarity on the president’s China policy best not hold their breath.

Biden has made clear in virtually every major speech and appearance since his inauguration that China is a key priority for his administration. He has tried to use China as a unifying thread for all his foreign and domestic policy initiatives.

He is driven in part by the recognition that confronting China may be the only thing Republicans and Democrats can agree on. Yet all these references to competing with China are merely a house of cards without a strong or even discernible China policy to back them up.

Biden referenced China during his speech last week marking the anniversary of the January 6 riot at the US Capitol. He said “From China to Russia to beyond, they’re betting that democracy’s days are numbered.” He raised the necessity of working together to counter China in his meetings with Nato and G7 leaders last year and also used the prospect of competing with China to rally support for his ambitious infrastructure bill.

Washington Post columnist Henry Olsen recently praised Biden’s effort to foster an allied approach to China as “refreshingly coherent and competent” and a rare bright spot in a largely disappointing first year.