The upcoming election is perhaps the most important in recent history in relation to foreign policy. It could very well decide whether the United States has the resolve to stand up and maintain its place at the head of world affairs, or it drifts into a state of complacency, with global powers trying to fill the vacuum left by U.S. influence.
The Chinese Communist Party would certainly like to see the latter scenario carried out. They would be quick to fill the void left by America in order to meet their timeline for territorial supremacy, especially in Southeast Asia where they wish to assert their dominance.
As such, in this election it is imperative that our president be willing to stand up to China. Democratic nominee Joe Biden has recognized this fact and attempted to counter President Trump’s claim that he is too soft on China. He has gone from encouraging China to be a “responsible stakeholder” to calling Chinese leader Xi Jinping “a thug.”
However, as history has shown, rhetoric is no substitute for policy, and there is reason to believe that Biden would be as hard on China as he says he would be. In reality, his measures would probably be limited in the promotion of human rights and not at all capable of bringing about a geopolitical balance of power in favor of our allies.
As far as promoting human rights goes it is unlikely that Biden would make much ground. It is true that he has called the treatment of Uighurs genocidal and that he, “stands against it in the strongest terms.” However, his policy proposals for remedying this evil are less than effective. He stated that he would bring the case before the U.N. which is absolutely pointless given that both Russia and China have veto powers
Biden’s ability to create a balance of power in our favor is also extremely questionable. He prefers economic competition in alliance with East and Southeast Asian powers over the strengthening of military alliances. This would most likely take the form of a variant of the Trans-Atlantic Partnership Deal which was in effect during the Obama administration. The measure would have little effect in stifling China’s ambitions as it did not hinder the U.S. from having what President Obama called, “the most important bilateral relationship of the 21st century.” Suasion by denial is an extremely important part of the logic of strategy and ignoring the importance of military strength could prove fatal in our ability to combat China’s territorial expansion.
These weak-willed measures are not just worrisome for American citizens concerned about our global prominence. People in Asia are also conspicuously pro-Trump. Many are rightly concerned that a Biden victory would mean a reversion to cooperative diplomacy with China rather than effective countermeasures to mounting aggression.
An anonymous writer from Japan’s Foreign Ministry stated that, “having a poorly implemented but fundamentally correct strategy (under Trump) is better than having a well-implemented but ambiguous strategy.”
Another Singaporean official worries that Biden would be too focused on peripheral issues and unable to effectively confront China. “She (Susan Rice, Biden’s suggested candidate for secretary of state or defense) was amongst those who thought the United States should deemphasize competition to get China’s cooperation on climate change, which is a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of international relations.”
Although Biden has started condemning China more fervently, it is unreasonable to believe that he would be willing to completely change the failed policies he supported during his years as Obama’s vice president. His strategy for dealing with China is fundamentally lacking in the heavy-handedness which is necessary to deter the Chinese Communist Party from pursuing its territorial ambitions. His change in speech has not evoked a change in policy, and this should be worrisome to all who are concerned with stopping China from becoming the world’s dominant power.
Your humble servant,
Silence Dogood
Biden will be hard on China, I don’t know what your talking about- Jennifer Omalley Dillon