Bring Back Trump’s China Policy

Overview:  

This article was written by Bryan Burack at the Heritage Foundation.

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• The Trump administration's significant foreign policy legacy is its proactive response to China's economic strategies against the United States.
• The Biden administration, although continuing some of Trump's economic and tech policies toward China, has softened its overall approach due to concerns about perceived provocations.

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Key Quotes:  

• "The Trump administration’s most important foreign policy legacy is its much-needed response to China’s economic warfare against the United States."
• "The Biden administration has watered down its overall approach due to fears that aggressively protecting the U.S. economy may be too provocative."

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What They Discuss:  

• The contrasting approaches of the Trump and Biden administrations regarding U.S. economic policies towards China, with the former adopting a more antagonistic stance and the latter emphasizing engagement.
• Even while continuing some policies, the Biden administration has taken actions to reassure China, which some view as weakening the U.S. position.
• Concerns from both political spectrums that rigorous economic measures could provoke China into conflict if enforced without a strong military position.
• Arguments against the belief that the U.S. is "strangling" China's economy, pointing out that both nations remain heavily interdependent economically.
• The inevitability of decoupling in critical economic sectors as pushed by the Chinese government itself, which has been preparing to become more self-reliant.

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What They Recommend:  

• Maintain and continue the economic and technological measures initiated by the Trump administration to reduce dependencies on China.
• Strengthen America’s defense industrial base and address supply chain vulnerabilities to ensure credible military deterrence.
• Acknowledge and prepare for the inevitability of some form of economic decoupling from China, acting from a position of strength.

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Key Takeaways:  

• The U.S. should continue efforts to reduce reliance on China to maintain national security and economic stability.
• Assertive economic policies are essential to deter Chinese aggression effectively.
• The current U.S.-China relationship dynamic is not akin to the pre-WWII U.S.-Japan scenario in terms of economic measures.
• Decoupling in sensitive sectors is perceived as inevitable and is being actively pursued by China's own policy goals.
• Ensuring America's economic security will make the country more resilient and better positioned to counter China's growing influence.

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This is a brief overview of the article by Bryan Burack at Heritage Foundation. For complete insights, we recommend reading the full article.