Sidorov Andrey Yuryevich – Ph.D. in History, Associate Professor, Department of International Relations and Foreign Policy of Russia, MGIMO University
The objective of the article is to consider the main characteristics and features of relations between the United States and China under the Biden administration (until June 2024). The author shows that the White House policy on the China track is characterized by a high degree of continuity: the Biden administration continued the hybrid war against China unleashed by D. Trump, only setting some priorities and emphases differently. If D. Trump acted straightforwardly, relying on force, then the democratic administration, verbally demonstrating moderation, continued to gradually increase pressure on Beijing, expanding the front of confrontation. In the field of economic competition, the «center of gravity» has shifted from the sphere of trade to the sphere of high technology. The key goal of the United States remains to slow down the pace of China’s development and return the interdependence of both states to the center-periphery model. On the regional track, Washington has relied on strengthening old and creating new anti-Chinese formats in the Indo-Pacific region (QUAD, AUKUS, PBP, IPEF). On the Taiwanese track, along with the status of the island, the most important problem is Taiwan’s monopoly on the production of the latest advanced chips, access to which is critical for both China and the United States. The Biden administration has increased the «ideologization» of relations with Beijing, but its attempts to undermine political stability in China have not brought results. On the contrary, a new factor in bilateral relations was the growing political contradictions in the United States itself. Another new factor was the Russian SMO, which led to increased sanctions pressure from Washington on China and at the same time to the deepening of Russian-Chinese interaction. In general, the Biden administration has not brought constructive dynamics to relations with China. The rivalry between the United States and China is long-term and fundamental in nature, and their rivalry and conflict, adjusted for economic interdependence, will remain as the main track of development of both powers.
USA, China, US–China relations, J. Biden, alliances, Taiwan issue, values, «containment», hybrid warfare.
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