US-China ties: Biden has limited time to repair Trump’s damage, say analysts

US President-elect Joe Biden has just over a year to build better ties with Beijing, according to a panel organised by Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute

But ‘China-bashing’, rising nationalism and different values, especially on Hong Kong, human rights and the South China Sea, could stand in the way

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US President-elect Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the country’s relationship with China reels from a bitter tariff war and sparring on issues ranging from politics to trade and their responses to the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:03pm, 6 Jan 2021Updated: 10:25pm, 6 Jan 2021

With US President-elect Joe Biden set to be sworn into office within weeks, US-China watchers are upbeat that the incoming administration could provide fresh opportunities to mend ties with Beijing and increase its commitment to Asia.

Yet, at the same time, they warn the fundamental differences between the two countries could stand in the way, with progress also impinged by factors such as Biden’s response to the situation in Hong Kong as well as democracy and human rights issues.

Zack Cooper, research fellow at the Washington-based think tank American Enterprise Institute, felt that Biden’s election victory gave the US a “real opportunity” to shift the debate on America’s role in Asia.

Speaking on a panel discussing US-China ties organised by Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Cooper noted that US President Donald Trump frequently skipped his trips to Asia and this was not something that would sit well with the Biden administration.

Trump’s absence from the 2019 East Asia Summit – a key regional forum attended by the 10 Asean countries and the bloc’s eight key trading partners – was described as a “bad signal” by Cooper. “There is a window of opportunity for the Biden team to get a little bit of momentum on its strategy in the region.”