Trump and Harris talk about China from the perspective of domestic concerns
Concerned about domestic politics, presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have referred to China through the lens of the country's internal situation. Analysts affirm that, given that controversial internal issues dominate the last week of the American presidential campaignany mention of US-China competition by candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump has come through the […]
Concerned about domestic politics, presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have referred to China through the lens of the country's internal situation.
Analysts affirm that, given that controversial internal issues dominate the last week of the American presidential campaignany mention of US-China competition by candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump has come through the lens of domestic concerns.
“American voters are more concerned about domestic issues. Polls show that the so-called threat from China ranks behind the economy, immigration, abortion, climate, democracy and other issues for voters,” Liu Yawei said. , director of the China Program at the Carter Center.
According to a survey published by the American pollster YouGov, only a minority of voters mentioned US foreign policy as one of the top three issues for them. The poll found that supporters of the former Republican president cared slightly more about foreign policy than supporters of the Democratic vice president.
China and domestic politics
Any mention of China has largely been in the context of domestic problems.
At an Oct. 27 rally in New York City, Trump mentioned China twice, saying that if the United States and China went to war, the United States would “defeat them,” and that he would “pass the Trade Act.” “Trump reciprocal, meaning that if China or any other country charges us a 100 or 200% tax or tariff, we (the United States) will charge them a 100 or 200% tax or tariff.”
Harris did not mention China during a rally held the same day in the key state of Pennsylvania.
Trump has focused on the potential economic effects of competition with China on American jobs, highlighting trade concerns, flooding of goods and unfair trade practices.
“China has been killing us on trade for years. If I'm elected, that will stop,” Trump said at a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in July.
At the Republican National Convention in July, Trump condemned China on several issues, including an accusation that Beijing has eliminated jobs in the American auto industry and that China has posed threats to Taiwan.
At a rally in April, Trump said that many immigrants coming to the United States from China are men of “military” or “combat” age who may come here to form a kind of “army.”
Trump has also mentioned China in the context of the fentanyl crisis in the United States.
“They are flooding our country with illegal drugs like fentanyl, killing Americans. This has to stop, and it will stop when we implement tough measures against China,” he said at a town hall event in New Hampshire in May.
Although Harris has been less vocal about China on the campaign trail, the vice president mentioned the Asian nation at the Democratic National Convention in August, saying she would work to ensure the United States wins the competition to be the world leader in artificial intelligence and space. .
“She advocates 'de-risking' – reducing interdependence between the United States and China in areas of advanced technology, primarily to ensure that Washington is not aiding Beijing's military modernization – but has warned against an economic policy focused on the tariffs on China,” said Ali Wyne, senior researcher at the International Crisis Group, describing Harris' policies.
But the two candidates and their respective political parties have more in common than differences in their rhetoric on China, said Dennis Wilder, former deputy deputy director of the CIA for East Asia and the Pacific and director of the National Security Council (NSC) for China during the presidency of George W. Bush.
“China has not been debated in this election because the American public and political class almost universally share the same negative views of China. Polls show favorable views of China in the United States in the single digits.”
While Washington's policies toward Beijing may have an impact on domestic issues such as jobs and the cost of goods, conflicts elsewhere in the world have also overshadowed U.S. policy toward China in the eyes of many American voters, analysts say. .
“Strategic competition between the United States and China is not the main concern of American voters. They are more concerned about the state of the economy and the cost of health care,” Wyne said.
“And to the extent that foreign policy issues are shaping their considerations, they understandably focus on a raging war between Russia and Ukraine and the possibility of a regional war in the Middle East.”