Joe Biden to team up with China? Beijing teases new ‘window of hope’ following Trump exit

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Wang Yi, Beijing foreign minister, told Chinese state news agency Xinhua he hoped Mr Biden would adopt a different foreign policy to President Donald Trump. The Chinese official lashed out at the outgoing US president for adopting a “completely wrong China policy”.

During the interview, Mr Wang urged Mr Biden to “pick up rationality, reopen dialogues” and “bring the bilateral relations back on track and restart cooperation”.

He added: “China-US relations have come to a new crossroads, and a new window of hope is opening.

“We hope that the next US administration will return to a sensible approach, resume dialogue with China, restore normalcy to the bilateral relations, and restart cooperation.”

During the lead-up to the US election. Mr Biden vowed to “get tough” on Beijing’s trade abuses and intellectual property theft but criticised Mr Trump for his aggressive approach towards China.

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Mr Wang also criticised Mr Trump for his hardline approach to China, stating Washington and Beijing relations had run into “unprecedented difficulties” under the outgoing President.

He added: “Some see China as the so-called biggest threat and their China policy based on this misperception is simply wrong.”

The foreign minister also blasted the Trump administration for attempting to “suppress china and start a new Cold War”.

He then said: “The fundamental reason is that the US authorities have seriously misunderstood China and regarded China as the so-called greatest threat, thus adopting a completely wrong policy.”

The foreign ministers comments followed Mr Trump’s Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blasting the Chinese Government as a “fragile dictatorship”.

The US official made the remarks following Chinese authorities sentencing multiple pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong to prison, after they fled the country in the wake of last year’s security legislation.

Mr Pompeo said: “A regime that prevents its own people from leaving can lay no claim to greatness or global leadership.

“It is simply a fragile dictatorship afraid of its own people.”

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US experts however believe Mr Biden won’t abandon the Trump administration’s approach to China, but would take a more “strategic approach”.

Nick Marro, Global Trade Lead at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), told Express.co.uk the President-elect is “unlikely” to shift from his predecessor’s approach to key issues between Beijing and Washington, like the South China Sea.

Jake Sullivan, Mr Biden’s national security adviser, told CNN the incoming administration will also recognise China as a serious trade competitor.

He added the President-Elect will work out the economic difference between the US and the EU in an effort to improve relations and counter China.

China, anticipating a US effort to forge closer ties with the EU, is also racing to improve relations with the trading bloc.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France President Emmanuel Macron, recently concluded talks on a massive investment treaty.

Mr Wang hailed the concluded talks, and said in the Xinhua interview: “The most important conclusion is that our cooperation and common understandings far outweigh competition and differences.

“China and the EU are comprehensive strategic partners, not systemic rivals.”

US Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger however blasted the EU for reaching the deal with China despite Beijing’s “human rights record”.

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