When Joe Biden was vice president he had a track record for being weak on China, which does not bode well for how he will handle Beijing when he is president, according to Sky News contributor Miranda Devine.
President-elect Joe Biden contacted leaders from Australia, Japan and South Korea to assure them America will continue to focus on the region during his administration.
President Donald Trump took a hard line with China, implementing a 25 per cent tax on a basket of Chinese imports, which caused Beijing to retaliate and implement similar tariffs on American goods.
Relationships between the two powers worsened due to the spread of COVID-19, which originated in Wuhan, China.
On Thursday, local time, President Trump signed an executive order banning Americans from investing in Chinese firms that the government claimed are owned or controlled by the Chinese military.
Ms Devine told Sky News when Mr Biden was Barack Obama’s vice president, China significantly advanced its military influence, particularly in the South China Sea.
“Donald Trump was very strong against China, he called them out for malfeasant even before the pandemic came along,” she said.
“I think because Joe Biden in the past, he was Barack Obama’s point man on China, and he was very weak on China, he let them get away from militarizing those islands in the South China Sea, with stealing intellectual property from American companies and so on.
“I think China will test the new Biden administration.”
