Biden adopting 'strategic patience' with China policy

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden will adopt a policy of "strategic patience" with China while the US confers internally and with allies about its rising challenges.

"What we’ve seen over the last few years is China is growing more authoritarian at home, and more assertive abroad, and Beijing is now challenging our security, prosperity and values in significant ways that require a new US approach," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters. "We want to approach this with some strategic patience."

The Biden administration is in the midst of an interagency review of wide spectrum of policies related to China, including commercial and trade, while also conferring with Congress and foreign allies about how best to proceed.

Psaki said Biden will wait for the "overarching" review to conclude before he determines how best to move forward, but maintained the president's approach will be "multilateral."

"The president is committed to stopping China's economic abuses on many fronts, and the most effective way to do that is through working with our allies and partners," Psaki said.

That stands in stark contrast to former US President Donald Trump whose relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping was often fraught, first over trade disputes, but later over China's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump personally blamed Chinese officials for the health crisis, pejoratively linking the virus to China on multiple occasions.