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Editor's note: CGTN's First Voice provides instant commentary on breaking stories. The column clarifies emerging issues and better defines the news agenda, offering a Chinese perspective on the latest global events.
"Winning the competition with China should unite all of us," U.S. President Joe Biden declared in his second State of the Union address.
It would be the tragedy of a century if all that's left behind to unite America is fighting China.
For the United States, whether it's innovation – an industry that Biden describes China as "intent on dominating" – or any other areas where it intends to make better, cooperation with China is the surest path forward. For starters, the idea of suppressing China by isolation or "de-coupling" simply doesn't work. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, bilateral trade between the U.S. and China hit a record high in 2022, reaching $690.6 billion.
Even the chip-blockade orchestrated by the U.S. is facing strong pushbacks. After strong-arming the Netherlands into submission, Japan is stirring the pod again by signaling that it might opt for milder restrictions on chip production machinery sales in China than America's. Reuters has reported that the former Liberal Democratic Party minister of economy trade and industry said there's a "question of whether we (Japan) have to exactly match" the U.S.'s policies. South Korea, said to be another pillar of America's tech-blockade against China and a country that has remained hesitant about joining, is already feeling the pain as its chip sales had plunged 44.5 percent in January as the U.S. enacts its restrictions.
Attempts to keep China in check would only spur Beijing to pursue development further, faster and smarter. Suppression feeds innovation and rebellion, the U.S. should know better than that given its history. But the political reality is, in today's American system, China has been shaped into what might be the only topic that could "unite" American politicians. The system itself is broke to a near unsalvageable degree.
Halfway through Biden's speech, Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene yelled "liar" when Biden accused the Republicans of threatening to "sunset" Social Security entitlement programs. Another lawmaker shouted, "it's your fault" as Biden talked about the fentanyl crisis in the country. In the Republican response, Washington under Biden was described as "taxes you and lights your hard-earned money on fire."
Such open hostility, rather than being manifestations of ideological differences, are the reflection of two facts: One, the Republicans now holds the power to stymie Biden's political agenda with its majority seats in the House of Representatives; two, governing is over, and a new round of fight for the White House begins.
It's going to get very ugly as Biden remains weak. A Gallup poll shows that Biden has scored an average of 41 percent job approval during his second year in office. The only American president since WWII who has a lower score is former President Donald Trump, who lost to Biden by a mere 0.6 percent at 40.4 percent.
According to an ABC News/Washington Post poll released on February 5, only 16 percent of Americans believe they are in better financial shape now than they were when Biden took office. Nearly 4 in 10 Americans believe they are worse off today than two years ago. According to reports, this is the worst showing since the pollster started asking the question in 1986, making Biden scoring the lowest point on this than any other president in nearly four decades.
A politically weak president invites his political enemies to attack him during an election year, especially with the Republicans holding the House. And as Washington gets into its most brutal season, governance will be one of the last of the politicians' concerns.
A house divided cannot stand. When Biden said that America is in the "strongest position in decades to compete with China or anyone else in the world," he's picking the wrong fight with the wrong target. Doing battle with China will get America into lots of trouble with very little reward in return. The battle that Biden and American politicians need to face is one from within America itself.
