Recently, President Biden cautioned China was going to “eat us for lunch” if the U.S. didn’t match China’s investments in “transportation, the environment and a whole range of other things.” He raised concerns about Beijing’s “coercive and unfair economic practices, crackdown in Hong Kong, human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and increasingly assertive actions in the region, including toward Taiwan.” He said he was open to working together with Beijing, but only “when it benefits the American people.”
The President’s comments reflect the challenge of formulating a balanced China policy today, tough where needed, but capable of cooperation and collegiality as well.
China’s large economy and central position in global supply chains make it important for American businesses that create millions of U.S. jobs. Yet many of the policy directions Beijing is taking — including on cyberspace, technology transfer, anticompetitive practices, industrial planning, and many other areas — are not only antithetical to market-based competition but in numerous areas present growing national security risks.
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