Opinion | US presidential election: is there a better option than Biden or Trump for both America and China?
- With polls suggesting Americans want neither Biden nor Trump to run again, popular California governor Gavin Newsom could be the Democrats’ saviour
- Given his pro-China stance and the possibility of a reset in Sino-US-ties, a Newsom run could also be a blessing for Beijing
As the US presidential election approaches, China is no doubt following developments in Washington with interest. Under both Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Sino-US relations have changed. But who does Beijing prefer?
China’s desire to challenge American hegemony and end the unipolar world attracted a more critical assessment in the Obama years, but it was Trump who exploited growing resentment against China in 2016 to escalate the situation via a trade war.
Should Trump return to the White House next year, it must be assumed that he will be an even bigger China hawk, while the Republican Party is all-in against China – a crucial development as Trump and the party can be expected to peddle anti-China policies even if they are detrimental to American interests, as long as doing so satisfies their voter base.
Trump’s unpredictability is important. He is neither an ideologue nor a pragmatist. Would anyone be shocked if he got up one morning and decided to sever US diplomatic relations with Beijing? Probably not.
