In May, the Trump administration issued a new report detailing its “Strategic Approach to The People’s Republic of China.” The strategy is the administration’s clearest policy statement to date on one of its top foreign policy priorities. Moreover, the strategy was released at a critical time, coming amidst Beijing’s crackdown in Hong Kong, human rights abuses in Xinjiang, recurring trade tensions, and criticisms surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Did the strategy hit the mark? Conversations with experts in the United States and abroad reveal five principal critiques of the strategy. Some critics say the administration’s approach is too confrontational, while others worry about letting the Chinese Communist Party off the hook. Experts in allied countries argue that the approach is too transactional, but many still fear that it is too values-based for President Donald Trump’s liking. Perhaps the only thing on which everyone agrees is that the strategy was released too late. This short essay consolidates and sharpens these critiques with the aim of jumpstarting a needed debate about the White House’s new China strategy.

To read the rest of this article, please visit War on the Rocks:
https://warontherocks.com/2020/06/five-critiques-of-the-trump-administrations-china-strategy/