Biden admin warned of China’s intent to be top world power

Washington: The State Department has warned the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden that it must address China’s intent on displacing the US as world’s foremost power.

“The Trump administration achieved a fundamental break with the conventional wisdom. It concluded that the CCP’s [Chinese Communist Party’s] resolute conduct and self-professed goals require the United States and other countries to revise assumptions and develop a new strategic doctrine to address the primacy and magnitude of the China challenge,” according to a detailed document prepared by the State Department’s policy planning office.

Biden’s plans for the US-China relationship are largely unclear.

The US-China reached historic lows during Trump’s term in office. Over the past four years, both sides have slapped the other with trade tariffs, restricted access for tech companies, journalists and diplomats, and shuttered consulates.

The report further stated that the Chinese government is a mounting challenge to free countries that adhere to the international, rules-based system.

It accused China of illegally obtaining technology to control its own population, corrupting international institutions, pursuing extravagant territorial claims, brazenly defying international law, grossly abusing human rights, embarking on a military program to surpass US dominance, and coordinating with American adversaries to push disinformation.

“The CCP’s recklessness in allowing the novel coronavirus born in Wuhan to develop into a global pandemic, coupled with the concerted disinformation campaign that Beijing undertook to conceal China’s culpability, should put doubts to rest,” according to the document.

There is a growing belief among Democrats and Republicans that the US needs a more aggressive approach toward China’s behavior.

As yet, no official policy statements on China have been released by the Biden transition team.

While Biden has decades of experience in dealing with China, his tone took a harsher turn during the presidential primaries. He frequently criticized China’s assertive policies in its region as well as Beijing’s human rights record, even branding President Xi Jinping a “thug” during a debate in February.

The Trump administration said a thorough assessment of American alliances and international organizations is “long overdue” and that the government “must strengthen its alliance system by more effectively sharing responsibilities with friends and partners and by forming a variety of groupings and coalitions to address specific threats to freedom.” (With inputs from Fox News)

Image courtesy of (credit: US Dept of Defense)

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