Diplomatic and economic ties with allies will be the foreign policy priorities for the Biden administration as it seeks to unwind a more caustic tone by the Trump administration, while China policy will follow that effort, according to U.S. officials.
The White House and the Department of State are more concerned about talking to U.S. allies first, said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki and State Department spokesman Ned Price speaking at separate press events.
"So, as a first step we want to make sure that we are in lockstep with those allies, in lockstep with those partners, and then ... you can expect that there will be engagement in several areas with China," said Price at a state department briefing.
The foreign policy sequence indicates the hawkish approach taken by former president Donald Trump on China remains largely in place.
Price said it's "no coincidence" President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken's initial interactions were with America's allies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region. He described U.S. alliances and partnerships as a "force multiplier" that advances U.S. national interests.
He said the U.S. sees "our alliances, our partnerships globally as again this force multiplier across a wide range of challenges, and that includes in our relationship with Beijing," adding that there are issues such as climate change, "in which it is our national interest to cooperate on a limited basis with China."
Price described the relationship with China as one viewed "through the lens of competition and positioning ourselves to compete and ultimately to out-compete with the Chinese."
"We know that China is engaged in a range of conduct that hurts American workers. It blunts our technological edge," he said. "It threatens our alliances and influence international organizations."
"And China has engaged in gross human rights violations that shock the conscience. So we will counter China's aggressive and coercive actions, sustain our key military advantages, defend democratic values, invest in advanced technologies and restore are vital security partnerships," he said.
Psaki said Biden still hasn't spoken to President Xi Jinping but will definitely do so in the future. She noted "there are additional layers to engage with the Chinese."
