Geopolitics Quarterly

Geopolitics Quarterly

Biden's Foreign Policy towards China, Considering how it is Represented in 2022 US Strategy Documents

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Political Science and history, Yazd University,Yazd, Iran
2 M.A. in International Relations, Yazd, Iran.
3 Associate Professor of Political Science, Faculty of Law, Political Science & History, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran
Abstract
Extended Abstract     
Introduction
During the Biden presidency as the 46th president of the United States from the Democratic Party, the US foreign policy changed in many different domestic and foreign policies. In this regard, it can refer to elements such as: internationalism, liberalism, multilateralism and institutionalism, collective leadership, intelligent power, informative power and attentions to democracy and American values. These elements constituted identical roles of United States in Bidens presidency that directly influences US foreign policy. In this regard another important factor affecting the development of American foreign policy is how to represent and define threats to national security, which is directly derived from the threat perception or how to deal with threats. In this regard, one of the important and reliable references on how threats to US national security are represented and defined, is the National Security Documents, including the "National Security Strategy" and the "National Defense Strategy" documents, which are presented to the Congress by the president.
Therefore, the main question of this research is: What has been the main foreign policy of the Biden administration towards China based on how China is represented in the 2022 US National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy documents? Other questions of this research are: How the China as the main "other" for the United States is represented in these documents? What are the main signs of Chinas threat perception in these documents? What are the most important policy prescriptions of these documents in facing China as a threat? In response to this question, in the first topic under the theoretical framework, this research examines the concept of "the other" and the identity roles of US during the Biden presidency, in the second topic, it examines the kinds of "threatening other" according to  2022 US strategic documents, then this paper considers China's threat representation in these documents, and in the research findings we  examine Biden's foreign policy towards China based on the strategy of rebalancing and emphasizing multilateral and bilateral alliances, as the continuity of  the war policy.
 
Research Method
This research is an explanatory and qualitative research (investigating the relationship between the two variables of the Biden's foreign policy towards China as a dependent variable and how China is represented in the 2022 US Strategic documents as an independent variable). The data analysis is through document research and collect information is through documentary and virtual sources.
Discussion and Research Findings
In order to understand the US foreign policy towards China, it is necessary to pay attention simultaneously to three domains, the policy prescriptions of the examined documents, president or foreign ministers speech acts toward China and policy measures taken. In this regard the most important policy prescriptions about how to deal with China according to the 2022 US national security documents are: “selective constructive interaction” about common global challenges including climate change and global public health, non-proliferation, global food crisis and macroeconomic issues, “responsible competition” including internal balancing (internal economic and military empowerment) and external balancing )networking with allies and partners in the face of Chinese power), “preventive and deterrence policies” including preventing China from dominating key regions of the world, preventing China's strategic attacks and aggressive actions against the United States and its allies and partners. In relation to practical measures, the main foreign policy of Bidens administration was emphasis on role of regional alliances and coalitions. Biden's foreign policy tries to maintain the balance of power against China by playing a central role in regional alliances and coalitions. In this strategy, the United State is considered as the central core of regional alliances and countries like India, Australia and Japan have also supported this policy.
 
Research Results
In response to the above questions and according to the research findings, the most important results obtained are:
- Among the identical roles defined for the united States during the Biden presidency, the “other”, in the role of friend, is very important and influential in US security and foreign policies.
- In contrast to this “other”, is the “threatening other”, which itself has different types and levels, that constructs perception of threat for US national security. This threatening other is divided into threats from other states, including China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea and threats from non-state actors. According to the documents, China and Russia are the most important threatening states.
 - In relation to China, according to the documents policy prescriptions, the US simultaneously should take three approaches or strategies towards China. “selective constructive interaction”, “responsible competition” and “preventive and deterrence policies”.
- The most important strategy of Biden's foreign policy towards China is the emphasis on deterrence and preventive policies, which includes the rebalancing strategy and the emphasis on multilateral and bilateral alliances, as well as the continuation of the trade war policy.
Keywords

Subjects


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Volume 21, Issue 3
Summer 2025
Pages 177-203

  • Receive Date 14 February 2025
  • Revise Date 08 May 2025
  • Accept Date 22 May 2025