The China Question
China amd USA flag with grey background studio shot
In 2020 China remains at the top of the short-list of most powerful players on the world stage. As I continue my own education in this field, I will be searching for counterpoints and sharing as I learn. But for this moment, I offer the following talks from Peter Zeihan (of Zeihan On Geopolotics, a global geopolitics consulting firm has been studying and speaking about China for over a decade). AND Mathew Bey, the Stratfor Senior Global Analyst (Zeihan used to work for Stratfor).
My focus is on the predicted strategic China/US policy differences between a Trump and Biden presidency. These predictions differ between Zeihan and Bey. Bey sees Biden being more dovish (relative to Trump) and generally more diplomatic with China pursuing a bit more carrot and a bit less stick. Zeihan predicts Biden actually being MORE hawkish than Trump based on historic precedence and Biden’s personal distaste for China. See the two linked videos for reference points.
Related: Biden’s 2020 presidential policy proposals make repeated mention of rebuilding America’s national infrastructure, including manufacturing and pharmaceutical manufacturing. This is counter to many concerns that Biden is ultimately unwilling to stand up to the global power-groups, such as the UN, who recently voted to place China on the UN Human Rights council, despite the ongoing conflict with Honk Kong and the Uyghur Muslim internment camps. In 2018, Trump withdrew the US from the UN Human Rights Council, citing repeated corruption and anti-Israel bias.