China shouldn't be front and centre of American presidential race

EVEN before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan and the spread of the pandemic into the United States, Americans were debating the future of their relationship with China.

A bilateral consensus has evolved in Washington about the need to reassess the US' "engagement" with Beijing, in particular when it comes to trade relations. Populists, protectionists and security hawks in both the Republican and Democratic parties have called for embracing a tough posture vis-à-vis China, through economic decoupling and the containment of China's military power.

While some members of the business community and the foreign-policy establishment cautioned against a breakup in the relationship and advocated for continued co-operation with China, the US president's preoccupation on his re-election prospects, coupled with the growing power of the Democratic Party's progressive wing, have helped strengthen the hands of those seeking a fight with the Chinese. Yet, despite the rising tensions between the two countries, few politicians in Washington support the idea that it would be in US interests to declare a cold war with China. Even the White House seemed reluctant to take the road towards a second Cold War that could prove economically costly and potentially ignite a hot war with China.