Ahead of US Election, China Braces for Rocky Ride, Potential Change

With bilateral relations in free-fall, Beijing is bracing for more turbulence in the run-up to the U.S. election in November, and the possibility that a 👤Joe Biden presidency presents an opportunity to avoid a deeper conflict.

Washington’s demand this week that China shut its Houston consulate in 72 hours infuriated Beijing and forced a retaliatory order to close the U.S. consulate in Chengdu.

As usual, China did not directly criticize President 👤Donald Trump, who often speaks of his personal friendship with President 👤Xi Jinping, but in caustic editorials state media portrayed the move as an election gambit.

Some Chinese government and military hawks see four more years of Trump as an opportunity to accelerate China’s ascent. Many in China have gained confidence in its standing as they watch his tumultuous presidency, including its handling of Covid-19.

But along with exasperation over Trump’s unpredictability and penchant for tariffs, and wariness of Washington’s hostility on multiple fronts, is rising worry over the risk of sharper confrontation, according to six Chinese officials and people with ties to the leadership.

Frequent criticism of “Communist” China and its ruling Communist Party – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo used the word 27 times in a speech on Thursday that called a more assertive approach to China the “mission of our time” – also rankles in Beijing.

Caught off guard by Trump’s 2016 victory, China dispatched government think tanks to make an earlier start preparing reports on the election and U.S. public sentiment, with a focus on Democratic challenger Biden and his policies, sources familiar with the matter said.