Commentary
The GOP presidential candidates view China as the most important foreign policy issue for voters this year. They all vowed to maintain a strong stance on the communist regime.
They also linked China to other major foreign policy issues, such as the southern border, immigration, Russia, Ukraine, and the flow of fentanyl into the United States from Mexico.
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina told NBC News that the United States is already engaged in a cold war with China and identifies explicitly the “Made in China 2025” plan and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as threats to U.S. national security. Additionally, he is concerned about China’s efforts to build alliances in Latin America.
During the interview, Mr. Scott skirted the Taiwan question somewhat and did not explicitly state that the United States would fight for Taiwan. However, he emphasized the importance of defending Taiwan, saying: “Taiwan is an absolutely essential component for America. I think having the ability to defend Taiwan is critically important.” He plans to maintain the current Taiwan policy, which includes “continuing to provide the resources, equipment, and military weaponry.”
Many of the candidates discussed the idea of decoupling from China. On this issue, Mr. Scott told NBC, “The ability to sever the relationship with China is absolutely essential.”
During the first GOP primary debate in August, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie warned that the Chinese regime is engaging in an “act of war.” He wants to secure the southern border to stop illegal immigration and deport those who entered illegally. The link he drew between China and immigration was that the regime was to blame for the fentanyl coming over the border, killing U.S. citizens. During the second GOP debate, he gave a stern warning about the alliance between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, saying that if we lose Ukraine, Poland is next.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley also blamed China for the fentanyl crisis and called for ending normal trade relations with China. She called for a ban on TikTok and to end U.S. dependence on China for pharmaceutical medicines. She recognized the danger posed by the Xi-Putin alliance, saying, “A win for Russia is a win for China.” Ms. Haley emphasized the importance of defeating Russia as a warning to China not to invade Taiwan.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (C) poses for a photo during a ceremony to unveil Taiwan's first locally built submarine, "Narwhal," at the CSBC Corp. shipbuilding company in Kaohsiung on Sept. 28, 2023. Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, despite his previous business ties to China, describes the regime as the biggest geopolitical and military threat, stating that he would prevent U.S. companies from doing business there. He wants the United States to “declare independence” from China and outlined a number of restrictions he would put in place to make that happen, including preventing Chinese entities from buying U.S. farmland. However, Mr. Ramaswamy opposes a national ban on TikTok.
His stance on Ukraine is unconventional, stating that Mr. Putin is “evil,” but Ukraine is not necessarily “good.” Because he believes that China poses a bigger international threat than Russia, he suggests that the United States should permit Russia to seize Ukraine in exchange for Moscow ending its military alliance with Beijing. He then blamed Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for unwillingly giving up his sovereign territory.
On the Taiwan issue, Mr. Ramaswamy was similarly atypical. In a radio interview, he suggested, although he did not clearly confirm, that he would use force to defend Taiwan, but only until the United States becomes chip-independent in 2028. After that, defending Taiwan would be less of a priority.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vows a “hard power” approach toward China, including ending U.S. dependence on China and terminating its preferential trade status. He cited his Florida policy of cutting funding to schools with ties to the regime, as well as preventing Chinese citizens from buying land—a policy he aims to implement nationally. Additionally, he wants to halt the importation of goods containing stolen intellectual property. While this seems like a sensible policy, in practice, it would be challenging to enforce without imposing a total ban on Chinese imports.
Mr. DeSantis referred to China’s activities in Latin America as a threat to U.S. national security. He also criticized Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and other officials who had made a trip to Beijing. He later suggested that the world was big enough for the two countries to coexist as if China were not a threat to the United States.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum identified the U.S.-Russia conflict as a proxy war and stated that Mr. Putin and Mr. Xi are watching the United States, ready to take advantage of our divisiveness. He also asserted that the United States is already in a cold war with China and proposed that the way to win it is through economic means, particularly energy policies. China is a net energy importer, and if the United States could prevent those imports, China would feel the damage. Simultaneously, Russia is dependent on energy exports, so cutting them would hurt Mr. Putin’s wallet. Additionally, preventing U.S. pension fund investment in China would deal an additional blow to Beijing’s revenues. He expressed support for providing Taiwan with more weapons but did not explicitly state that he would fight for Taiwan.
Former Vice President Mike Pence highlighted that under the previous administration, he and President Donald Trump established the Space Force and adopted an unpopularly strong stance toward China. As a result, the United States and its allies are now more aware of the threat posed by the regime. If elected, he promised to strengthen the economy, committing to allocate more funds to defense and building a military capable of countering China. He vowed to end “woke” policies in the military, stating, “We must concentrate on defense, not pronouns.” He also held China responsible for the fentanyl coming across the border, emphasizing the need to stop it.
Defeating Mr. Putin is paramount in Mr. Pence’s opinion, as it would send a message to Mr. Xi not to invade Taiwan. Mr. Pence blamed the Biden administration’s weak foreign policy for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, stating that Mr. Xi was watching and would consider this information while planning his invasion of Taiwan. While Mr. Pence is insistent on his support for Taiwan, he did not explicitly state that the U.S. military would fight for Taiwan.
President Trump was absent from the debates. But in a separate interview, he reiterated his strong stance on China and his commitment to removing China’s most-favored-nation status. President Trump promises to stop China from shipping goods to the United States through third countries to bypass sanctions and tariffs. He wants to eliminate federal funding for any company that outsources to China and end U.S. investment in the country, eliminating dependence on China over the next four years. This includes electronics, steel, and pharmaceuticals, as well as preventing China from making critical investments in the United States.
While they differed on the specifics of implementation, all of the candidates identified China as the primary threat to the United States, outlined some form of decoupling from China, and, with the exception of Mr. Ramaswamy, promised continued support for Taiwan.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
