Ben ReynoldsWriter and Foreign Policy Analyst in New York
After the turbulence of the Trump years, some foreign observers may be hopeful for a diplomatic reset from the incoming Biden administration. The Trump administration imposed serious tariffs on both China and its own allies, alienated many of the U.S.’s military partners, and engaged in empty saber
-rattling whenever possible. While we will certainly see a change in temperament from the Biden administration, incoming officials have signaled not to expect a radical departure from Trump’s policies on trade. Indeed, many of the domestic political calculations that made the Trump administration take up a Sisyphean trade war with China remain relevant today. The era of protectionism and more forceful U.S.-China trade competition thus may be here to stay.