Trump, Harris both bad news for China

A leading Chinese foreign policy voice sees little upside to either US presidential candidate.

Earlier this month, one of China’s leading experts on US-China relations, Wang Jisi, published an article in Foreign Affairs on how China views the US presidential election.

• Wang is President of Peking University's Institute of International and Strategic Studies.

In the article, Wang argues that while Trump and Harris are two very different candidates, Beijing doesn’t have a preference as both would be bad news for China (Foreign Affairs):

• “The likelihood that the next U.S. administration will view China’s development positively is low."
• “[Chinese strategists] assume that whoever is elected in November 2024 will continue to prioritize strategic competition and even containment in Washington’s approach to Beijing.”
• “Beijing is preparing itself for the outcome of the U.S. elections with great caution and limited hope.”

Called it: We argued as much in a blog post on a potential Biden-Trump face-off back in May.

Get smart: No matter who wins the White House, China is buckling down for extended strategic competition with the US.

• That means strict adherence to China’s oft-stated foreign policy goals of supply chain security, global governance reform, and Global South solidarity.