Foreign Affairs

Biden Wants You To Know His China Strategy Is Not Racist

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The White House shoehorned in a denunciation of racism Wednesday after outlining a vision of competition with China in its long-awaited National Security Strategy.

The strategy calls for re-shoring U.S. manufacturing and ramping up production of critical materials to reduce dependence on China, which the administration pegs as “the only competitor with both the intent and, increasingly, the capability to reshape the international order,” according to a fact sheet. In offering a strategic guideline for out-maneuvering Beijing, however, the White House took pains to distinguish between anti-China competition and anti-Asian bias.

“While we have profound differences with the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese Government, those differences are between governments and systems – not between our people,” the strategy read. “Racism and hate have no place in a nation built by generations of immigrants to fulfill the promise of opportunity for all.”

“Ties of family and friendship continue to connect the American and the Chinese people,” it continued. “We deeply respect their achievements, their history, and their culture.”

A component of the national security strategy involves investing in democracy at home as well as abroad, according to the fact sheet.

The U.S. aims to engage with countries “on their own terms,” avoiding a mode of competition that would lead to a Cold War-like scenario or outright military conflict, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a briefing Wednesday.

The administration hopes to work with China in countering transnational threats like narcotics, nuclear weapons proliferation, disease and climate issues, requiring a “dual-track” approach to competition, according to the strategy.

“We intend to work together to solve issues that matter most to the people of both countries,” the report said.

The strategy comes as China’s imminent 20th Communist Party Congress could see President Xi Jinping affirmed as dictator for life.

Under the Xi regime, Beijing has escalated threats to security in the Indo-Pacific, U.S. supply chain resiliency, intellectual property and global health, exemplified by the COVID-19 virus that originated in China.

Hate crimes against Asians skyrocketed in the U.S. following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.