Xi Jinping delivers a speech at the event marking the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China, on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Photo credit: REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
Ryan Hass
The Biden administration recognizes that China is America’s foremost strategic challenger as well as a potential partner in some fields. It expects US–China competition will be sharpest around technological innovation. Much hinges on Beijing’s expectation that time is on China’s side. Central to the American response is coordination with allies and partners. Washington views such coordination as a competitive advantage, since Beijing lacks meaningful allies. Given the firm US–Israel bond, and the energy needs of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing is likely to look to others in the Middle East—Iran as well as Saudi Arabia.
