The recently passed party platform of the Democratic Party in the United States reaffirms Beijing’s position as the country’s primary strategic competitor, aiming to gradually reduce risks in US-China relations and build a “small courtyard high wall,” while pledging to not decouple.
During the Democratic National Convention held in Chicago on Monday (August 19), the party’s platform on China policy stated: “President Biden recognizes that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the United States’ primary strategic competitor. Beijing intends to fundamentally reshape the US-led international order.”
Given that the platform was written around the time of the Democratic presidential candidate Biden, it includes numerous references to him and a potential second term. With Biden announcing his withdrawal from the race at the end of July, the Democratic Party has nominated Vice President Harris to succeed Biden as the 2024 presidential candidate. It is widely believed that Harris will continue the policy direction of the Biden administration.
Overall, Biden has been following the path laid out by the Trump administration in dealing with US-China relations in terms of great power competition, viewing China (the CCP) as the primary competitor. The National Security Strategy report released by the Biden administration in 2022 singularly addresses the challenge posed by China (CCP) and refers to it as a “global priority” for the United States.
The platform emphasizes that the Biden administration will invest in both domestic and foreign alliances to engage in fierce competition with Beijing, without seeking conflict.
“Biden has consistently been committed to taking a tough but wise stance towards Beijing, persistently advancing US interests and values while ensuring a stable fundamental relationship with China,” the platform stated.
During August 15-16, the US-China Financial Working Group held its fifth meeting in Shanghai. According to the US statement, the US Treasury Department and the People’s Bank of China exchanged letters to support coordination during financial stress periods to strengthen appropriate information sharing and reduce overall uncertainty in crisis management, recovery, and resolution frameworks.
“Both sides also exchanged key contact information to facilitate rapid coordination in the event of financial stress or business resilience issues,” the US statement noted. The Chinese statement echoed similar sentiments.
Bloomberg reported that the appointment of liaisons by the US and China to address any future “financial stress events” represents a rare example of the world’s two largest economies seeking common ground.
In an interview published in Time magazine in June, President Biden remarked that China’s economy is “on the brink of collapse.”
The Democratic Party’s platform continues to pledge a tough approach towards China, seeking to reduce risks rather than decoupling.
“We will not apologize for countering unfair trade practices that harm American workers. We will prevent China (CCP) from exploiting America’s openness, using US technology against us, our allies, and our interests,” the platform stated. “In this context, we seek to ‘reduce risks’ and diversify the economic relationship between the two countries, rather than decoupling.”
“We will protect a certain amount of sensitive technology through targeted restriction measures, building a ‘small courtyard high wall’ to safeguard US national security,” the platform said.
The platform summarizes the actions taken by the Biden administration towards China, including combating Beijing’s unfair economic practices, creating a fair competitive environment for American workers, strategically raising tariffs on a variety of products like steel and aluminum, semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries, critical minerals, solar panels, gantry cranes, and medical products.
Additionally, the Biden administration issued an executive order on foreign investment to prevent China from acquiring cutting-edge technology to safeguard and protect US and allied national security interests, technologies that enable Beijing to develop military and surveillance capabilities. The US also strengthened restrictions on the export of artificial intelligence chips and manufacturing equipment, as well as semiconductor, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing technologies to China, to inhibit Beijing from using these technologies for military purposes.
Furthermore, the Biden administration pledged to cooperate with China in areas that align with US and global interests, such as addressing climate change and combating the trafficking of fentanyl.
“President Biden urges China to take action to curb the flow of fentanyl into the Americas and, as part of a global alliance, commit to mitigating climate change,” the platform stated.
The platform also emphasized that President Biden will steadfastly commit to maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, in line with the US’ “One China” policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint Communiqués, and the “Six Assurances” to ensure that neither side unilaterally changes the status quo.
The Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed and expressed gratitude for the inclusion of Taiwan-related content in the Democratic Party’s platform. The ministry stated: “This not only reaffirms the Democratic Party’s firm support for Taiwan but also marks the first mention of ‘a firm commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait’ and the ‘Six Assurances,’ indicating strong support for Taiwan. The ministry sincerely welcomes and appreciates this.”
The recent statements from Chinese foreign ministry spokespersons did not touch upon the content of the Democratic Party’s platform.