Be it resolved, it’s in America’s interest for Joe Biden to continue Trump’s China policy

Tough talk on China helped Trump win the presidency in 2016 and over the last four years the U.S. has taken a markedly more assertive approach to confronting the rise of its first major geopolitical competitor since the Soviet Union. Critics of Trump’s approach say his China policy is based on flawed assumptions – the key one being the jingostic assumption that China aspires to be an expansionist power rather than a regional broker primarily focused on protecting its sphere of influence. These same critics argue that American’s decline, relative to China’s rise, is inevitable and America should be preparing now for an era of increased cooperation with Beijing to tackle the world’s big problems from climate to the next pandemic. China hawks respond that a naive American policy prior to Trump paved the way for China to become the world’s second largest economy and chief geopolitical rival. Trump deserves credit for reversing this complacency. China skeptics argue that America must continue to be vigilant and suspicious of Chinese intentions in Asia and beyond. To ensure the preservation of the liberal international order in the 21st century, the U.S. must confront and contain China across a spectrum of flash points including the South China Sea, Taiwan, trade, space, high tech, and human rights.