Biden talks of China once at major speech
Democratic candidate accepts nomination, calls to deal with epidemic, other acute issues
Vowing to unite Americans that have been divided by the coronavirus, economic recession and racial problems, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden accepted nomination in a speech in Delaware. By mentioning China only once, Biden seemed not to jump into the trap set by President Trump in being tough against China, as China has never been the root of US domestic problems, observers said.
Biden formally accepted the nomination on Thursday at the Chase Center in Delaware on the last day of the Democratic National Convention.
Biden started his speech by accusing Trump of cloaking America in darkness for too long with “too much anger,” “too much fear,” and “too much division.” He said America faces the most difficult moment amid the worst pandemic in over 100 years, “the worst
economic crisis since the Great Depression,” and “the most compelling call for racial justice since the 60s.” He continued to call for unity and promised to reverse the failure of the Trump administration in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden’s speech reflected himself – steady and well-organized, but lacking in sparkle. He seems to stand in the center of the universe in calling for love and unity – trying to portray himself as Trump’s opposite, Sun Chenghao, an assistant research professor at the Institute of American Studies of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times.
According to a CNN Poll of Polls released on Monday, Biden led Trump by a 9-point margin nationally which has significantly narrowed since June. Experts said that considering Trump’s ability to manipulate media and inciting supporters, it’s possible he may turn the table.
Biden made his promises on issues that Americans care most about, and cleverly mentioned China only once – refusing to take Trump’s bait in playing a tougher card against China, Sun said.
“China has never been the reason for US domestic problems, which can also never be solved by shifting blame to China.”
Trump’s crazy accusations and attacks against China, as well as sowing ideological bias, would do no good to improving the US’ current situation or protecting US companies, Zhu Feng, director of Institute of International Studies of Nanjing University, told the Global Times.
“However, Trump’s incitement still attracts some groups in the US. And Biden’s slight mention of China showed he did not want to give Trump an excuse to attack him,” Zhu said.
Trump and his supporters also criticized Biden on Thursday. “In 47 years, Joe did none of the things of which he now speaks,” Trump tweeted while Biden was speaking. “He will never change, just words!”
Although Biden did not touch on China in his acceptance speech, it does not mean he would take a softer approach to China if he wins, since it has become a bipartisan consensus for tougher policies against China, Chinese experts said, noting the tough tone on China in the Democratic Party platform.
The word “China” appeared 22 times in the 2020’s platform while in the 2016 version, China appeared seven times. The 2020 one claimed to be tough against China.
Compared to the platform released in 2016, the 2020 version removed the one-China principle, and said that “Democrats are committed to the Taiwan Relations Act.”
Chinese observers have criticized the Act as a violation of China’s national interests. They said the Chinese mainland should be alert on these changes, as some hardliners from both parties in the US will be playing the Taiwan card more to contain the Chinese mainland.
Removing “one-China” policy is ill-intentioned, but does not mean it would deny the principle. There is no need to focus on what US politicians say, as once the US crosses the red line, China will know what to do, said Lü Xiang, a research fellow on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.