Their new Guidance doc says “America, not China” will set the new world order.
The Biden administration has a new Interim National Security Guidance in which it names China as the most threatening nation the United States faces. They claim this is because China can combine its technological and other capabilities like no other, according to the document.
The administration also outlines plans to seek more regulation of advanced technologies, according to the Guidance. They are also intending to strike back after Chinese cyberattacks.
The 23-page report, released this week, outlines the new administration’s priorities at home and abroad. While it covers a broad range of topics and potential threats, it gave special attention to China. In fact, the report refers to China as “the only competitor potentially capable of combining its economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to mount a sustained challenge to a stable and open international system.”
Banging the drum of American exceptionalism
The Guidance document did not shy away from some good old fashioned patriotic jingoism. “The most effective way for America to out-compete a more assertive and authoritarian China over the long-term is to invest in our people, our economy, and our democracy,” the document said.
“By restoring U.S. credibility and reasserting forward-looking global leadership, we will ensure that America, not China, sets the international agenda, working alongside others to shape new global norms and agreements that advance our interests and reflect our values.”
The guide vowed to rally friendly nations to repel what was portrayed as a threat to a U.S.-led order.
China reacts with its customary calm
For its part, China responded to Biden’s bombast with its usual Confucian equanimity. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin appealed for a positive turn in the troubled ties between the world’s two largest economies.
“We hope the United States will view China and China-U.S. relations in an objective and rational light,” Wang said. He also urged Biden to “work with China in the same direction, and do more to promote mutual trust and cooperation.” In this way, he said, the U.S. could “help bring bilateral relations back onto the track of sound and steady development.”
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