![Biden faces tough pressure on China 1 Biden faces tough pressure on China 0](https://vanhoaphuongdong.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/vnexpress.net-biden-truoc-ap-luc-cung-ran-voi-trung-quoc-4392510-1.jpg)
Biden faces tough pressure on China 0
Chinese state media often describes US President Joe Biden as a `weak leader`.
Chinese social media users also regularly follow American public opinion polls about Biden’s abilities and make mockery when Biden’s approval rating falls to a record low of 41% in the survey.
In an NBC News poll last month, more than 70% of American voters, including Democrats, said the administration was on the wrong track, complaining about the economy and the country’s divisions.
US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (on screen) held an online summit on November 16.
Huang Jing, head of the Institute of International and Area Studies at Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU), said that after the Democratic Party’s defeat in the gubernatorial election in Virginia earlier this month,
`Apart from the newly passed $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and the AUKUS trilateral security treaty (between the US, Australia and UK), Biden has not achieved much at home or abroad.
`Biden is now in a vulnerable position, so he may have to be tougher on foreign policy issues, especially towards China,` Huang said.
Zhu Feng, an international affairs expert at Nanjing University, is also worried that the US President will pursue a tougher stance on China if US public opinion polls continue to show negative results.
`There will be no scenario of re-establishing bilateral relations,` Zhu assessed.
The online summit between US President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping last week may help ease some tensions.
The list of US officials attending the online conference with China, especially the presence of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, is a sign that President Biden seems to want to `use the China card` to defuse the situation.
`Choosing Yellen as the only cabinet secretary other than Secretary of State Antony Blinken to attend the conference is an interesting move by Biden,` Luft said.
`This could be a signal that Biden wants to shift the focus from the military aspect to the financial aspect. If true, we will see Yellen play an increasing role in US-China relations in the coming months,` he noted.
Expert Huang from BLCU believes that Yellen’s appearance at the negotiations sent a positive signal.
As for Biden, Pang Zhongying, an international affairs expert at the Ocean University of China in Qingdao, said that the US President understands China well and understands how to find a balance between applying pressure and maintaining cooperation.
`He deliberately bought time with Beijing while trying to revive the US alliance network and consolidate support from allies and partners on policy with China,` Pang said.
According to him, the newly passed infrastructure law will give Biden great momentum domestically.
`Beijing should appreciate that Biden is a rational politician who is fundamentally friendly to China and values US-China cooperation, despite all he says about competition,` Pang commented.
But Chinese media still seems to have a different perspective on Biden.
Yun Sun, senior expert at the Stimson Center in Washington, said that it is unwise for Chinese state media to underestimate the Biden administration.
Cheng Li, an expert at the Brookings Institution, noted that while the US President lacks the political motivation to warm up the relationship, Chinese President Xi Jinping also faces `huge problems` domestically.
`China faces countless difficult challenges, such as economic inequality, the risk of a real estate bubble bursting or unemployment pressure,` Cheng said at an online seminar after the Biden-Xi meeting.
Huang from BLCU also agreed that domestic issues are a big challenge for both sides.