'Biden Sides with China' Trump Targets China Ahead of Presidential Election

Using China Criticism as a Reelection Strategy
Riding Anti-China Sentiment as Economic Achievements Disappear Due to COVID-19
US Congress Also Joins Pressure on China

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min, Reporter Jo Young-shin] President Donald Trump's campaign against China is expected to continue until the November presidential election. Following the Trump re-election campaign's decision to make holding China responsible a core pillar of its election strategy, the presidential election advertisements have also begun to focus on China. As a result, concerns are spreading that international affairs will be turbulent for at least the next six months.

A re-election ad scene of President Donald Trump slandering former Vice President Joe Biden by claiming he is siding with China. (YouTube capture)

Trump's strategy of targeting China was clearly revealed in the re-election advertisement released on the 7th (local time). Starting that day, through a $100 billion ad campaign, President Trump intensely criticized former Vice President Joe Biden, who is virtually confirmed as the Democratic presidential candidate, as being favorable to China.

The advertisement attacked Biden by saying that in a national crisis, "Biden defended China's sentiments" and "Biden represents China." It also showed a scene of Biden toasting with Xi Jinping, President of China, followed by a contrasting image of President Trump banning travel from China to protect American lives from COVID-19.

Regarding the 'anti-Biden ads' that began on key battleground states from that day, a foreign media outlet evaluated that President Trump clearly revealed that he would prioritize the China responsibility narrative as a message for his re-election.

President Trump chose the China responsibility narrative as his election strategy because the American economic boom he achieved during his term came to an end in just two months due to the China-originated COVID-19. With his achievements gone, he desperately needed a new target for attack. This is the background behind the two pillars of Trump's re-election strategy: targeting China and economic reconstruction messaging.

The spread of anti-China sentiment within the United States is also encouraging President Trump. According to a Pew Research poll conducted at the end of April, two-thirds of Americans viewed China unfavorably. This is a 20 percentage point increase compared to January 2017, when the Trump administration took office.

Trump's campaign against China is also receiving support from the U.S. Congress. According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP), there is a movement among Republican members of the House and Senate to rename the road in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C. to "Li Wenliang Plaza." Li Wenliang was a Chinese doctor who first warned about the spread of COVID-19 in China but was punished as a rumor spreader and died after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

SCMP reported that amid the worsening U.S.-China relations, with Trump repeatedly raising the issue of China's responsibility for the spread of COVID-19 to the extent that the term "new Cold War" is being used, the Chinese government cannot accept the road name change as purely well-intentioned. The House has also formed a "China Task Force (TF)." The TF is known to conduct extensive investigations related to COVID-19 issues involving China. Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said, "There will be extensive investigations into China's role in the origin and spread of COVID-19, China's influence on the United States, and economic threats to the U.S. and its allies."

On the same day, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the U.S. would withdraw Patriot missile batteries responsible for Saudi Arabia's air defense, tying it to the China containment theory. Citing an official, WSJ reported that the U.S. Department of Defense believes it must redeploy limited U.S. military forces to respond to China's military expansion.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.