With Joe Biden, who has a long history of questionable or corrupt dealings with Chinese officials and the government, now sworn into office, he has promised a ‘new era’ of ‘unity’ and other politically nuanced platitudes in his recent speech that psersonally, don’t mean much of anything unless they are meant to make people feel nice and happy about him. However, as with any president or political figure, the proof is always in their actions, just as it was for Trump, and Biden must be held to the same standards of treatment. Love him or hate him, a man’s actions are the fundamental basis of how his tenure in office must be measured. I have pointed this out before with Obama, noting that while there is much to be said critical about him, Obama (a) did or seriously tried to do what he said, and (b) he allowed the Assault Weapons Ban to expire and did not pass a new one, whereas Trump acted in the opposite.
I am not going to assume anything with Biden, but rather the same, let his actions and those in his administration define my response. But it is interesting that while people have been paying attention to these speeches, China has now according to Reuters with Biden ascending into office issued blanket
China has imposed sanctions on 28 U.S. indivduals including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over “crazy actions that have gravely interfered in China’s internal affairs”, its foreign ministry said in the early hours of Thursday, Beijing time.
“These individuals and their immediate family members are prohibited from entering the mainland of China, Hong Kong and Macao. They and companies and institutions associated with them are also restricted from doing business with China,” the ministry said in a statement. (source)
I remember when Trump was sworn into office how as soon as I saw Jared Kushner get promoted to his ‘preferred’ place in the White House, thinking to myself that things were going to take a very bad turn fast, and that Trump was likely to ignore all of his promises.
I am having that exact same feeling right now as I read this article, except in a different context. Knowing that Biden has such close financial ties to China, and that he has been willing to engage in (and have it be intentionally overlooked and ignored) corruption against the nation he is promised to serve, that it is not a surprise that China has made such sanctions against the Trump administration.
This is a sign that China feels empowered over the US. They feel the US is weak, and that Biden will do as many in power would like them as it serves Chinese interests.
I am not saying that China is going to ‘overtake’ the US. I am saying that this action likely happened because the CCP feels empowered by Biden’s presence in office and that they have an ‘advantage’ over the US. I am also not saying that Trump was a masterful handler of Chinese affairs, but that under Trump, they did not like him but were forced to respect him more than they will Biden.
Biden will not bring ‘unity’ that he talks about. If anything he is going to bring more division and anger to the people, and if this recent bar on former Trump administration officials means anything, it is that Biden will see to it that his personal financial investment- his ties to China -may be better protected than the rights and freedoms of the people that his office commands him to care for. Even CNBC admits that China is going to be a major geopolitical challenge for Biden, and that how he handles it may have a significant impact on world affairs, especially with China taking an increasingly militaristic stance against the US in places such as the South China Sea.
But with Trump now out of office, and Biden promising a ‘new era’, the question is, will he be able to deliver on his promises to his supporters, or will they get worse?
While it remains to be seen, and while it is good to hope for the best, the latter is the more realistic expectation.