Foreign policy takes a back seat in unconventional Harris-Trump US presidential race

Whether Kamala Harris or Donald Trump wins, US tariffs and export restrictions targeting China will almost certainly increase, say analysts

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Former US president Donald Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris shake hands before their debate in Philadelphia on September 10. Photo: ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Published: 12:31am, 17 Sep 2024Updated: 5:49am, 20 Sep 2024

One US presidential candidate has avoided specifics on her China, Indo-Pacific or broader foreign policy stance, allowing her to avoid being pinned down. The other has avoided specifics in keeping with his mercurial, populist approach.

Welcome to the most unconventional US presidential race in memory, complete with two assassination attempts, a former president with 34 felony convictions back for another run and a vice-president vaulted onto the top of the Democratic ticket 15 weeks before the November 5 election.

Trying to tease out specifics on how Vice-President Kamala Harris’s foreign policies might differ from those of President Joe Biden, who bowed out after a disastrous debate performance, or exactly how former president Donald Trump 2.0 might veer from his 2017-2021 term, is difficult at best.

Adding to the challenge is strong voter focus on domestic issues this cycle, despite two wars and the race’s impact on US-China relations, the global economy, climate change, illegal drugs and other issues.

“Do they care about foreign policy, probably not,” said Bonnie Glaser, managing director at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. “But America still wants to hear what they think about the Mideast, the war in Ukraine.”

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A few things are clear, analysts say. No matter who wins, US tariffs and export restrictions targeting China will almost certainly increase. And improved US-China relations are unlikely any time soon given deep, mutual distrust.