By Steve BermanTell me, exactly, what Joe Biden is going to do about China that President Trump didn’t do? The answer, of course, is nothing. Tariffs, trade deal, intelligence and all–Biden is going to continue Donald Trump’s policies toward the communist Chinese leviathan. And well he should.
Biden sounded quite Trumpian, talking about how he would fight China’s “abusive practices” like “stealing intellectual property, dumping products, illegal subsidies to corporations.” Here’s another one: “I want to make sure we’re going to fight like hell by investing in America first.”
America first. Hmm. Where have we heard that one?
And another where Biden questions our allies’ commitment: “The best China strategy, I think, is one which gets every one of our — or at least what used to be our — allies on the same page.” Now I’m sure Biden defenders will rush to reinterpret these remarks to be a knock at Trump, who they claim alienated our allies to the point of breaking long time friendships. But that doesn’t really make sense–you’d think those allies would rush to hug Biden and repair relationships.
During his tenure, Trump never relented on pressure for our NATO allies to meet their treaty obligations, which were woefully short when he entered office. The same Russia that Obama and his administration accused of rigging the 2016 election and colluding with Trump, Obama stood by in 2014 and watched Vladimir Putin execute his own version of Lebensraum, annexing Crimea from Ukraine. Obama, and NATO, did nothing.
Under Trump, France, Norway, Britain, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania joined the U.S. in spending two percent of GDP on defense, which is the NATO target. That still leaves 20 other members, including Canada, that ignore the target (Canada spends less than 1.5 percent on defense).
There’s reason for concern. China has been named as the “greatest threat to our nation’s information and intellectual property, and to our economic vitality” by FBI Director Christopher Wray. The FBI published a counterintelligence opinion titled “The China Threat,” and has briefed Biden on classified intelligence.
China’s efforts target businesses, academic institutions, researchers, lawmakers, and the general public and will require a whole-of-society response. The government and the private sector must commit to working together to better understand and counter the threat.
China’s “talent plans” are central to its goal to steal and accumulate foreign technologies, which are then used to advance its military and economic goals. The Chinese Communist Party doesn’t hold the concept of “individual rights” to be sacred–in fact, it doesn’t recognize that concept at all. Everything is in service to the State and the Party.
Examples abound. The WSJ noted the case of American Superconductor, which had trade secrets stolen by Chinese firm Sinovel. China recruited the head of Harvard’s chemistry department with a $50,000 monthly payment to lure scientists and researchers and get them to steal information. He was arrested. How many others are getting away with it?
Educational institution and private sector (especially big tech) leaders have long been kissing cousins of liberal (and Democrat Party) apparatchiks. These organizations have been targeted, and effectively penetrated, by Chinese Communist Party fronts and interests. Look at the NBA and Hong Kong. Look at Disney and China’s crime against humanity with the Uighurs.
Just a few months ago, the Lancet was praising China’s “successful control of COVID-19.” Now, CNN is covering leaked “Wuhan files” detailing how China mishandled COVID-19, covered it up, suborned the WHO into participating in the cover-up, and ignited the pandemic. The story is terribly embarrassing to Beijing, but CNN maintains that Trump killed 200,000 Americans.
If you think that story about the “Wuhan files” would have been published had Trump won the November election, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. CNN would have spiked it so hard the hammer blow would have reached Dracula’s heart.
Suddenly, it’s cool for those on the left to hate China again, because Trump isn’t going to be president anymore.
It turns out, like many things Trump did, that he was right all along. The leftist media will continue to spin out Hitleresque reviews of Trump’s presidency based on his worst instincts, tweets, and thin-skinned responses to criticism. Meanwhile, the Biden administration will quietly continue his policies in many areas, while the media does an about-face with no irony whatsoever.
They’re fine with it, as long as it’s not Trump doing it.
Follow Steve on Twitter @stevengberman.
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