A year later, Biden’s China policy looks a lot like Trump’s

December 10, U.S. Department of the Treasury Impose sanctions, including prohibiting U.S. investment, SenseTime, a Chinese artificial intelligence company Accused of developing facial recognition software In the past, it used to target the Uyghur community, which is dominated by Muslims in China. This move is part of a series of sanctions introduced by Human Rights Day, prompting SenseTime to postpone its planned initial public offering in Hong Kong.

The Ministry of Finance formally added SenseTime Technology to its China Military-Industrial Complex (CMIC) list, which is listed in November 2020 by then President Trump. In June, President Biden is removed from office Some of the companies on the list have added other companies and expanded their scope to include Chinese companies that sell surveillance technology. December 16, Eight companies Be added to the blacklist, including drone manufacturers Dajiang And facial recognition company Megvii Technology.

These actions show that, despite the ease of rhetoric, Biden has largely maintained Trump’s China policy. In some cases, the government even builds on Trump’s signature measures while reducing policies that are considered legally vulnerable and increasing the emphasis on human rights.

Some left. In June, Biden withdrew The so-called TikTok ban, Already twice Blocked by a U.S. judgeThe ban will require short video applications owned by China to leave the United States unless Parent company ByteDance for sale TikTok is an American company.Biden subsequently called National Security Review All foreign applications within 180 days. The deadline for this review has passed, but there has been no major announcement.

In September, Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou boarded an Air China chartered flight from Vancouver to Shenzhen, and was greeted by roses and flag-waving crowds. At the request of the US authorities, Meng, the daughter of company founder Ren Zhengfei, was detained in Canada for three years. The US authorities accused her of helping Huawei evade sanctions against Iran.Meng entered a Deferred prosecution agreement Cooperating with the Department of Justice, allowing her to return to China in exchange for acknowledging some wrongdoing – and removing a major sticking point in the US-China relationship.

But the Biden administration tightened other restrictions on Huawei.Trump has placed this Chinese company List This usually prevents American companies from doing business with it. American companies must apply for special permits to sell components such as software or microchips to Huawei and other companies on the list. In March, the Biden administration Make it harder Let U.S. companies obtain these licenses.A few months later, Huawei Split the smartphone division HonorSo that equipment sold outside of China can be used again Googleof Android Operating system and other software.

“I have not seen much progress between the two governments on national security issues,” said Nazak Nikakhtar, a former Commerce Department official under Trump.

To a large extent, Biden was imprisoned because he needed to avoid triggering World War III, and at the same time not appear “weak” when the American public and Congress hold increasingly negative views of China. And China’s more authoritarian changes under the leadership of President Xi Jinping—especially the overthrow of Hong Kong’s democracy and oppression of its Muslim population—make it more difficult to re-establish relationships. Biden recently stated that the United States will not send any government officials to participate in the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February.

But analysts said that Biden did not propose a clear policy on China, only that the two countries are competitors. Susan Thornton, a professional diplomat in charge of China policy, said: “It is difficult for the Biden administration to act in a high-profile, open or quick manner because the political space related to China is very narrow.” In the late Obama and Trump early years In the government.

Thornton said it is difficult to see the policies behind the bans and restrictions on Chinese companies.The Biden administration once stated It is not trying to contain China, But “If this is the case, I really don’t understand what we are doing,” she added. This is a difficult example to make when the tariffs of the Trump era still exist and the list of Chinese companies facing trade and investment restrictions continues to increase.