In recent days, mainstream media outlets have begun to report on a Chinese spy that had relations with a few midwestern mayors, and even congressman Eric Swalwell, a member of the house intel committee. The spy was a woman named Fang Fang, or Christine Fang. Shockingly, this is not the only instance of Chinese spies infiltrating the United States. The breaking news of this high ranking congressman being the target of a Chinese spy campaign has sparked an even bigger question- what action should be taken to thwart the growing threat China poses to the United States?

Delegates vote at the closing session of the 18th National Party Congress of China's Communist Party on November 14, 2012.Carlos Barria/Reuters

To understand what foreign policy actions need to be taken, we have to review the measures that previous administrations- more specifically, the Trump administration- have taken against China.

The Trump administration has taken a very different approach than that of previous administrations. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter recognized China’s One China Principle. The One China Principle is a policy that the United States implemented to move to recognize the People’s Republic of China instead of the Republic of China. Since then, the United States has taken a relatively relaxed approach to diplomatic relations with China. In October 2000, President Bill Clinton signed the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000. This act normalized trade relations between the United States and China, paving the way for China to join the World Trade Organization and become the United States’ second largest trading partner. In 2010, China became the world’s second largest economy.

 President Trump has taken quite a few actions to compete with China on an international stage, most notably his ‘America First’ trade policy. This approach to trade included imposing tariffs on China to make the United States more competitive. President Trump has also worked with other countries to build and strengthen alliances in Asia. The President raised the budget of the military to better be able to handle China and other foreign adversaries. President Trump is widely acknowledged to have been the first president to implement policies to treat China as a competitor on the international stage, giving the presumable new administration a running start to deal with the ever-evolving threat that China poses.

The incoming Biden administration will be facing a unique challenge in the form of China’s growing hostility. Joe Biden has made questionable statements regarding China since he announced his bid for the presidency. President elect Biden stated early in his campaign: “China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man.” This is not the only case of Biden downplaying the serious threat China poses to the United States. “They’re not bad folks, folks … They’re not competition for us," said Biden at a campaign stop in Iowa. Many Trump officials hope that remarks like these will not dictate how Biden deals with the foreign policy obstacle of China.

The President Elect may face a difficult challenge convincing the public that he can deal with China because of his son’s shady dealings with China. Hunter Biden is currently under federal investigation due to tax affairs. An anonymous source spoke with Fox News and told them that the investigation into Hunter’s taxes was at least partly predicated on SARs or suspicious activity reports regarding funds from China. This raises the question: Will Joe Biden be able to deal with China without bias?

Joe Biden has laid out a plan to deal with China by investing in American workers. He plans to invest $300 billion to create three million good paying jobs. He also plans to purchase American goods with taxpayer dollars, such as cars and medicines from American pharmaceutical companies. He aims to maximize the competitiveness of American workers. President Elect Biden has indicated that he does not intend to use the same tactics as President Trump when it comes to handling China. When discussing if he would withdraw the tariffs, Biden said, “I will use tariffs when they are needed, but the difference between me and Trump is that I will have a strategy -- a plan -- to use those tariffs to win, not just to fake toughness”. Joe Biden also stated that he would work to counter Chinese tech companies like TikTok in regards to stealing American information, and that he plans to put a greater focus on intellectual property theft by cutting off participating Chinese companies from the American market. His campaign website announces that an integral part of his plan on foreign policy is to try to give the world more confidence in America: “Other countries will once again have reason to trust and respect the word of an American president.”

The former Vice President has said that he will convene a summit for democracy to fight authoritarianism and advance human rights and fight corruption, specifically from China. Biden elaborates that human rights will be at the forefront of this summit and his administration, and that he will call on big tech companies and social media companies to ensure that their algorithms and technology are not being used by China.

The public opinion is mixed on whether or not Joe Biden will be more successful in dealing with China than President Trump. Some people believe that Biden will have more success in the region than Trump by better pulling our allies to the table to leverage against China, while others think that the Biden foreign policy approach to China is a softer, rebranded Trump policy.  Only time will tell if the Biden administration’s foreign policy will be more successful than the Trump administration’s approach.

Work Cited:

• The United States Department of Justice List of China related prosecutions
• The Washington Posts What we know about Rep. Eric Swalwell’s ties to an alleged Chinese spy
• Whitehouse.gov Remarks by President Trump on Actions Against China
• Cfr.org Trumps Foreign Policy Moments Timeline 2017-2020
• Cfr.org U.S. Relations With China Timeline 1949-2020
• The New York Posts America needs Joe Biden to face the grim facts about China
• The New York Times Biden’s China Policy? A Balancing Act for a Toxic Relationship
• Bloomberg.com What China Has Said on Major U.S. Flashpoints With China
• Thehindu.com Analysis: Biden’s plan to fix America hinges on China challenge
• Nbc News Biden’s comments downplaying China threat to U.S. fires up pols on both sides
• CSIS What Is the U.S. “One China” Policy, and Why Does it Matter?
• Fox News Hunter Biden 'tax affairs' under federal investigation; links to China funds emerge, sources say
• The Biden Harris campaign website outlining foreign policy plans