• About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service
No Result
View All Result
Thursday, April 15, 2021
THE MILLENNIAL SOURCE
  • World
  • US
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Profiles
  • Lifestyle
    • Food & Travel
    • Tech & Money
    • Health
    • Entertainment
  • Newsletter
TMS
No Result
View All Result
Home WORLD

Here’s where Donald Trump and Joe Biden stand on relations with China and US allies

byJoseph Lyttleton
September 15, 2020
in WORLD
Reading Time: 8 mins read
Here’s where Donald Trump and Joe Biden stand on relations with China and US allies

Source: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin
Trump has maintained that he is the person best positioned to ensure that the world “respects” the US. Biden’s campaign says his foreign policy vision is “to restore dignified leadership at home and respected leadership on the world stage.”

In April, TMS first compared the broad policy positions of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. In the months since then, Biden secured the delegates to become the Democratic nominee, selected Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate and officially accepted the nomination at the Democratic National Convention.

With less than a month until the first of three presidential debates (and one vice presidential debate), the candidates are campaigning during an unusual, coronavirus-altered election year. While there has been a smattering of in-person events, for most voters, understanding each candidate’s stances on the various issues will require personal research.

To that end, TMS is spending 2020 scrutinizing the positions of both candidates. We previously examined Trump and Biden’s stances on mental health care and issues that are most relevant to female voters. In this article, we’re taking a deeper look at where Biden and Trump stand on foreign policy issues in relation to China and the United States’ allies.

Trump and Biden on foreign policy

In April, TMS said of Trump, “The backbone of Trump’s foreign policy has been his ‘America First’ ethos.”

Since his first campaign and throughout his first term, Trump has maintained that he is the person best positioned to ensure that the world “respects” the US. Trump has repeatedly claimed that his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, tarnished the US’ reputation on the world stage.

Global polling challenges that contention, with the US’ favorability among foreign nations dipping since Trump took office. However, Trump is viewed favorably by people on the ideological right.

Biden’s campaign says his foreign policy vision is “to restore dignified leadership at home and respected leadership on the world stage.” As TMS wrote in April, Biden has claimed that “his administration would seek to work together with other democracies to ‘confront the rise of populists, nationalists and demagogues.’”

Currently, two of the most volatile areas of foreign policy are the US’ trade disputes with China and its strained relationship with countries that have traditionally been its allies.

Donald Trump on China

US-China relations have been contentious since Trump took office and they’ve only worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic, for which Trump has blamed China.

Trump came into office promising to stand up to China on trade. He frequently accused China, the US’ main economic competitor, of currency manipulation and other underhanded tactics to take advantage of the US. At a 2016 campaign stop, Trump went so far as to say the US was being “raped” in its trade relationship with China.

A year and a half into his presidency, Trump acted on his campaign rhetoric by placing 25% tariffs on Chinese products worth US$34 billion annually in trade. Beijing retaliated with tariffs of its own, leading to a trade war between the two nations. The countries have made some progress in trade talks since the tariffs began, but the negotiations remain ongoing.

Despite his tough talk and his frequent reference to COVID-19 as the “China virus,” Trump has regularly praised Chinese President Xi Jinping, even claiming they would “always be friends.” Trump reportedly asked Xi for help in winning the 2020 election. 

He also used the trade talks as an excuse for delaying sanctions related to the treatment of the Uighurs in Xinjiang. The abuse and imprisonment of the Uighurs, a Muslim minority group in China, has been labeled a humanitarian crisis by nations around the world.

President Xi and I will always be friends, no matter what happens with our dispute on trade. China will take down its Trade Barriers because it is the right thing to do. Taxes will become Reciprocal & a deal will be made on Intellectual Property. Great future for both countries!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2018

Joe Biden on China

Biden has sought to set himself apart from Trump on China, most notably with a campaign ad in April that accused Trump of “roll[ing] over for the Chinese” in response to the coronavirus crisis. The tone of the ad revealed Biden’s apparent adversarial stance vis-à-vis China.

New ad: Trump praised China's coronavirus response while refusing to mount the one we needed at home. Now the outbreak is the worst public health and economic crisis of our lifetimes. Joe Biden warned him not to take their word. (https://t.co/qJXsw3eKGG) pic.twitter.com/XWNnYx4GAI

— Andrew Bates (@AndrewBatesNC) April 18, 2020

This is also reflected on Biden’s campaign website, which states, “To win the competition for the future against China or anyone else, we must sharpen our innovative edge and unite the economic might of democracies around the world to counter abusive economic practices.”

This tough-on-China tone reportedly reveals an evolution in Biden’s views in the wake of the nation’s human rights violations. Or it may merely be a political calculation, as American journalist James Traub has argued, “Biden has simply learned that beating up on China has become a cost-free way to prove your toughness.”

Biden has also said that as president he will assert greater pressure on China “to stop subsidizing coal exports and outsourcing their pollution to other countries by financing billions of dollars of dirty fossil-fuel energy projects through their Belt and Road Initiative.”

Donald Trump on America’s allies

Trump’s “America First” philosophy was not just reserved for America’s economic rivals. As president, Trump has taken a hard-line stance against nations that have historically been America’s allies, accusing them of abusing the relationship and not contributing equally to their agreements.

Trump has been critical of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), accusing its member states of not contributing enough financially to the alliance. The New York Times reported on September 3 that former senior national security officials believe Trump may choose to withdraw from NATO if he wins reelection.

Trump recently approved a plan to relocate 12,000 US troops out of Germany, a move criticized by voices across the political spectrum. Pentagon officials are concerned that it will cost billions of dollars to relocate the troops. Other critics, including Republican Senator Mitt Romney, have said it will weaken the European alliance and strengthen Russia’s power in the region.

The Administration’s plan to remove thousands of U.S. troops from Germany is a grave error. It is a slap in the face at a friend and ally when we should instead be drawing closer in our mutual commitment to deter Russian and Chinese aggression.

— Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) July 29, 2020

Some of Trump’s foreign policy decisions have led to accusations that he is “stabbing allies in the back” to placate Russian President Vladimir Putin. These actions include ignoring bounties Putin allegedly placed on the troops of both the US and its allies in Afghanistan.

Trump has also pulled the US out of multiple peace treaties, actions that critics say endanger the world while emboldening nations like Iran and Russia that were constrained by the treaties. Trump claims those nations were not following the treaty rules anyway.

The world just got a little more dangerous. https://t.co/JdJK5c1mpV

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 21, 2020

Joe Biden on America’s allies

Biden has stated that America’s alliances will need to be restored in the wake of Trump’s presidency. In an op-ed for Foreign Affairs earlier this year, Biden claimed, “President Donald Trump has belittled, undermined, and in some cases abandoned U.S. allies and partners. He has turned on our own intelligence professionals, diplomats, and troops.”

He continues, “The Biden foreign policy agenda will place the United States back at the head of the table, in a position to work with its allies and partners to mobilize collective action on global threats.”

Biden’s campaign also promises to use the next Summit of the Americas, to be held in 2021, “to rebuild strong hemispheric ties based on respect for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. We will also strengthen our alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia and other Asian democracies, while sustaining an ironclad commitment to Israel’s security.”

Biden is among the voices who have been critical of Trump’s withdrawal from peace treaties. He says he will seek out new treaties and recommit the US to a policy of arms control.

Have a tip or story? Get in touch with our reporters at [email protected]

Like TMS? Subscribe to our free daily newsletter

Related

Tags: editors picksLonger readNorth AmericaPolitics
ShareTweetShare

Latest Posts

Foreign companies struggle to balance political influence and profits in China

Foreign companies struggle to balance political influence and profits in China

April 15, 2021
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms hasn’t had a director since 2015. Biden is looking to change that

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms hasn’t had a director since 2015. Biden is looking to change that

April 15, 2021
Everything you should know about Representative Matt Gaetz’s sex trafficking scandal

Everything you should know about Representative Matt Gaetz’s sex trafficking scandal

April 14, 2021

With Amazon winning the union vote in Alabama, what’s next for workers’ rights in America?

April 14, 2021

Everything you need to know about the Daunte Wright shooting

April 14, 2021

China controls most of the world’s rare earths. How does this affect the future economy?

April 13, 2021

Study: The US is a breeding ground for a growing diversity of diseases

April 13, 2021

SMIC gives executive 450% salary increase as China fights for semiconductor dominance

April 12, 2021

The Senate parliamentarian may be key to pushing Biden’s infrastructure bill without Republican support

April 12, 2021
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service

© 2020 The Millennial Source Ltd.

No Result
View All Result
  • World
  • US
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Profiles
  • Lifestyle
    • Food & Travel
    • Tech & Money
    • Health
    • Entertainment
  • Newsletter

© 2020 The Millennial Source Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

The Millennial Source
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.