Biden’s Democrats talk tough on China, but see different measures than Trump

Democratic Party platform echoes some of Donald Trump’s rhetoric on China, but criticises his tariff war and calls for ‘united front’ with allies

The platform, which maps out Joe Biden’s actions should he win the presidency, suggests a continued hard line on Hong Kong autonomy and Uygurs

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Democratic US presidential candidate and former Vice-President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event in Wilmington, Delaware, on July 14. Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:37am, 19 Aug 2020Updated: 7:10am, 17 Oct 2020

The coming US elections – now just 11 weeks away – might show an America more divided than ever on issues like social justice and the country’s economic prospects. But when it comes to China, the Democratic Party’s platform will not pave the way to a reduction in bilateral frictions.

The 90-page Democratic Party platform, to be approved by delegates to the party’s national convention this week, contains passages that echo some of the rhetoric that has defined the attacks on China made by US President Donald Trump’s administration – but also insists that the trade war Trump started with China more than two years ago has weakened America economically.

The Democratic platform, crafted as a statement of the agenda of the party and its presidential nominee, Joe Biden, “lambasts the Trump administration's handling of China in all issue arenas: trade, human rights, national security, public health and so on”, said Allen Carlson, director of Cornell University’s China and Asia-Pacific studies programme.

“More interestingly, it does not in any meaningful way diverge from the Republicans' critical assessment of China: that it is a country whose rise under [Chinese President Xi Jinping] poses a stark challenge to the United States.”

Xi Jinping and Joe Biden in 2012, when both were vice-presidents of their respective countries. Now, as the Democratic Party prepares to nominate Biden as its candidate against US President Donald Trump, its platform suggests maintaining a hard line against China on some issues but taking different steps on others. Photo: AP

The platform’s China plank calls for a “united front” with Washington’s allies as a more effective strategy against Beijing, suggesting a rejection of the confrontational style that Trump has used with all of America’s main trading partners while he escalated tensions with China.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has shown the risks of relying too heavily on global supply chains, as shutdowns and shortages have created chaos for workers and consumers and made our public health response even more challenging,” the platform says.