Could Biden’s Plan for Unity Help Patch Relations with China?
South China Morning Pos, 1/31/21
Abstract: Donald Trump’s us/them, zero-sum logic has not only divided the U.S. His racist agenda also exacerbates U.S./China relations. Stereotypes about a democratic West and a Despotic China do not stand up to scrutiny. In fact, Merrick Garland’s understanding of law could serve as a paraphrase of a ninth-century Chinese definition of law. Biden’s political thinking is broadly Jeffersonian, but some of Jefferson’s thinking echoes translations of Chinese documents in his library. Competition between the two great nations will not abate any time soon, but humanity’s best chance for combatting global threats like climate heating and a pandemic lies in U.S./China cooperation. Echoing Joe Biden’s inaugural address, it makes sense for both sides to “stop the shouting, and lower the temperature”.
