A top Chinese official said Joe Biden's administration opens a "new window of hope" for U.S.-China relations. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks during a Jan. 2 interview with a state-controlled media outlet. The Chinese government widely expects the Democratic nominee to take a softer approach, compared to how U.S. President Donald Trump treated the communist country.
Wang said during an interview with state-owned broadcaster CGTN that the relationship between the two nations "have come to a new crossroads, and a new window of hope is opening." The foreign minister expressed hope that the former U.S. vice president will "resume dialogue with China, restore normalcy to the bilateral relations and restart cooperation." He also accused the Trump administration of attempting a "new Cold War" with China.
The foreign minister also blamed "serious misconceptions" held by U.S. policymakers for the disagreement between Beijing and Washington. "Some [policymakers] see China as the so-called biggest threat, and their China policy based on this misperception is simply wrong," he commented. Any policy based on the perception that China is a threat "will find no support and is doomed to fail," Wang told CGTN.
Wang also noted that Trump's attempts to "suppress China" and "start a new Cold War" has "seriously harmed the interests" of both countries and "caused severe disruptions to the world."
Trump marked his refusal to approach China "with kid gloves" early in his term. He has levied tariffs against Chinese goods, and his administration has cracked down on the Chinese regime's intellectual property theft and economic espionage.
According to Wang, China is ready to develop a relationship with the U.S. based on coordination, cooperation and stability. He also urged the Western power to respect "the social system and development path chosen by the Chinese people" and "their legitimate rights to pursue a better life." The foreign minister pointed out that China never meddles in American internal affairs.
When asked about the uneasiness about China's rise that Americans felt, Wang answered: "The best way to keep one's lead is through constant self-improvement, not by blocking others' development."
China has always rooted for Biden to become U.S. president
U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center Director William Evanina said in August 2020 that Beijing wanted the Democratic nominee to win in the November elections, based on assessments by intelligence officials.
He later said in December that the government has seen a rise in diplomatic efforts aimed at Biden associates. "We're starting to see that [foreign influences] now play across the country … [both on] the folks starting in the new administration … [and] those who are around [them],” Evanina commented. (Related: The Joe Biden transition team is compromised by Chinese elites who have already taken advantage of Hunter Biden's White House connections.)
Incidentally, Chinese state-run paper Global Times published a piece in August expressing its support for a Biden presidency. According to the Aug. 19 op-ed by Yang Sheng, the Democratic nominee was "smoother to deal with" compared to his "more troublesome predecessor." Yang also hoped that Biden's victory could revive former President Barack Obama's more conciliatory legacy toward the communist country.
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences research fellow Lü Xiang mentioned that Beijing and Washington would "have more reasons to dialogue and cooperate" if Biden fixes the diplomatic ties the Trump administration frayed. He added that Trump's "unilateral, selfish and hegemonic stances" have left diplomats from the two countries with almost nothing to talk about when they meet.
Renmin University China-U.S. relations expert Diao Daming stressed that the communist country's policy toward the Western power is consistent regardless of leadership. "We should be positive and look at the potential change after the election – based on the attitude of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation," he noted.
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