Nicholas Burns, President Joe Biden’s nominee to be U.S. ambassador to China, is apparently planning to start his tour in Beijing by burning what is left of U.S.-China relations. During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Oct. 20, Burns took a “tough line” against China, citing its “genocide in Xinjiang” and the need to better support Taiwan and countries such as Australia and Lithuania subjected to “bullying” and “intimidation campaigns,” reported South China Morning Post. He also expressed confidence that China has weaknesses that the U.S. can exploit, including demographics and the growing (alleged) global pushback over its behavior.
“China is not an Olympian power. … They have enormous strengths. They have very few friends. They have no real allies,” claimed Burns, contrasting that with Washington’s 29 allies and numerous treaty partners. (China does not wish to have allies, and as for friends, 140 countries have joined the Belt and Road Initiative.) “We’re a strong country. We should be confident, for our values and our interests, and we can stand up to the Chinese. But our allies and partners can help to do that so that there’s real weight and leverage.”
Hong Kong’s SCMP account of the hearing indicated strong bipartisan support among members of the committee for such a tough line against China.
