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Trump is not educated enough on these matters to take the initiative. The intelligence apparatus is pushing for these, and will continue to do so with the Biden

Trump is not educated enough on these matters to take the initiative. The intelligence apparatus is pushing for these, and will continue to do so with the Biden administration. I can’t envision this Cold War ratcheting down. On the surface, Biden will wipe the slate clean on the trade war stuff, but the tit for tat stuff like this will accelerate. I don’t know what the end result of it will be, but the movement on this front is almost like day trading for defense departments, there’s enough bullshit here to justify entire agencies and budgets (as in, Palantir is going to find some crap here to monetize). Prediction - at least a few provisions in the near term stimulus bills, green deals, that will include funding for China containment policy. Biden has been clear he doesn’t want China setting preconditions for companies (the precondition being we get to copy your IP), and the second bullying sovereign nations economically in it’s sphere of influence. I just don’t know what this will actually look like, but Biden/Obama had way more of a master plan policy than Trump ever did for dealing with China: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asian_foreign_policy_of_the_Barack_Obama_administration https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asian_foreign_policy_of...

jokethrowaway 6y ago
With Europe and a Biden presidency being pro-China, I have serious doubts the western world will be able to face the Chinese century, and I doubt they will contain China anyhow. I'm sure that as China gets even richer and starts polluting less, politicians will take pride in that, as if they did anything.
- refurb 6y ago
  Agreed. Look at Australia. Struggling like a worm on a hook against China blocking their imports. How Australia goes is how the rest of the world goes.
  - philliphaydon 6y ago
    I can't tell if your comment is joking or not?
    - refurb 6y ago
      https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3114066/china-australia-relations-canberra-very-concerned-over https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3114066/c... I’m very serious. Dig into the news reports. China is arbitrarily blocking Australian imports of wine, seafood, coal based on “irregularities” that require “inspection” that amazingly results in product spoilage. China is turning the screws on Australia for past transgressions. China makes up a huge percentage of Australian exports so it’s not hard for China to economically hurt Australia at little cost to themselves. Watch how it plays out. It will be eye opening. My opinion is this is a test case and an attempt to split Australia off from the western group of countries.
      - runawaybottle 6y ago
        Plus they own like 20% of Australia’s real estate. You guys got in bed with the wrong people.
        rchaud 6y ago
        Who's 'you guys' and who's 'they'? Did the Chinese navy show up on Australian shores and take the property at gunpoint? Or did a local seller conduct business with a Chinese buyer and make money?
        runawaybottle 6y ago
        Many ways to fight war I suppose. Won’t get into the semantics of this if you think I need to put a gun to your head to get what I want.
        rchaud 6y ago
        You appear to be saying that property acquisitions are happening under some kind of duress on the seller's side. That's what I'm trying to get clarification on. I'm inclined to think that it's a deal between a buyer and a seller. If you feel selling to Chinese nationals presents a national security issue, then you could be more clear about that.
- matwood 6y ago
  > With Europe and a Biden presidency being pro-China, Huh?
- sdwa 6y ago
  There's no chance of Biden going easy on China, that would be political suicide. What might change is that Biden will lean more on multilateralism to build a coalition of democracies against China in contrast to Trump's reality TV "America first" approach.
- LatteLazy 6y ago
  I'm not sure why you've been downvoted. Biden may or may not be Pro China, but he's made zero commitments so far to deal with any of the current issues the world has with the PRC... (Hong Kong, Democracy and the rule of law, Covid 19, lies around Covid 19, the ongoing treatment of minorities, slavery and forced labour, the aggression towards its immediate neighbours, treatment of Taiwan and other issues) To be clear, I'm no Trump fan (he not only did nothing but lied and said he would/was taking action). I'm just saying I think presidents don't have much power over this (it's mainly economic policy) and Biden hasn't given any indication he will spend capital on this as far as I know... Edit: now I don't know why I've been downvoted either! C'est la Vie.

jokethrowaway 6y ago

With Europe and a Biden presidency being pro-China, I have serious doubts the western world will be able to face the Chinese century, and I doubt they will contain China anyhow. I'm sure that as China gets even richer and starts polluting less, politicians will take pride in that, as if they did anything.

refurb 6y ago
Agreed. Look at Australia. Struggling like a worm on a hook against China blocking their imports. How Australia goes is how the rest of the world goes.
- philliphaydon 6y ago
  I can't tell if your comment is joking or not?
  - refurb 6y ago
    https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3114066/china-australia-relations-canberra-very-concerned-over https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3114066/c... I’m very serious. Dig into the news reports. China is arbitrarily blocking Australian imports of wine, seafood, coal based on “irregularities” that require “inspection” that amazingly results in product spoilage. China is turning the screws on Australia for past transgressions. China makes up a huge percentage of Australian exports so it’s not hard for China to economically hurt Australia at little cost to themselves. Watch how it plays out. It will be eye opening. My opinion is this is a test case and an attempt to split Australia off from the western group of countries.
    - runawaybottle 6y ago
      Plus they own like 20% of Australia’s real estate. You guys got in bed with the wrong people.
      - rchaud 6y ago
        Who's 'you guys' and who's 'they'? Did the Chinese navy show up on Australian shores and take the property at gunpoint? Or did a local seller conduct business with a Chinese buyer and make money?
        runawaybottle 6y ago
        Many ways to fight war I suppose. Won’t get into the semantics of this if you think I need to put a gun to your head to get what I want.
        rchaud 6y ago
        You appear to be saying that property acquisitions are happening under some kind of duress on the seller's side. That's what I'm trying to get clarification on. I'm inclined to think that it's a deal between a buyer and a seller. If you feel selling to Chinese nationals presents a national security issue, then you could be more clear about that.
matwood 6y ago
> With Europe and a Biden presidency being pro-China, Huh?
sdwa 6y ago
There's no chance of Biden going easy on China, that would be political suicide. What might change is that Biden will lean more on multilateralism to build a coalition of democracies against China in contrast to Trump's reality TV "America first" approach.
LatteLazy 6y ago
I'm not sure why you've been downvoted. Biden may or may not be Pro China, but he's made zero commitments so far to deal with any of the current issues the world has with the PRC... (Hong Kong, Democracy and the rule of law, Covid 19, lies around Covid 19, the ongoing treatment of minorities, slavery and forced labour, the aggression towards its immediate neighbours, treatment of Taiwan and other issues) To be clear, I'm no Trump fan (he not only did nothing but lied and said he would/was taking action). I'm just saying I think presidents don't have much power over this (it's mainly economic policy) and Biden hasn't given any indication he will spend capital on this as far as I know... Edit: now I don't know why I've been downvoted either! C'est la Vie.