Nonetheless, I do not think this will be the end of the story for Trump, as he is very likely to continue his attempt to derail Biden’s presidency, although how intensely and deeply he will do so depends on how Biden and the Democratic Party leadership follow up on the aftermath of the Jan. 6 mob attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters and on how much support they get from the leadership of the Republican Party.

The House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump for the second time on Jan. 13, but the Senate’s decision remains to be seen.

In terms of foreign policy, Biden’s efforts to overturn many of Trump’s damaging legacies, including those regarding China, are not going to happen overnight, nor will they be easy to achieve. I do not think Biden will change US policies toward China, but you can expect him to be more rational, consistent and respectful. He is aware that US public opinion has shifted.

Several public opinion polls show that the public in both the US and China view each other as a “threat”. The American public’s “unfavorable” ratings of China in 2019 exceeded even the very high unfavorable rating in 1989, when the Tiananmen Square violence occurred.

I think Biden also understands that he has to start with domestic policies to rebuild America’s national strength: investment in research and development, infrastructure and in people’s health and education. These policies are the basis for restoring the country’s international leadership and competition with China.

Biden will want to deal with China in a smarter way, combining working with the Chinese on some issues, such as global warming and the COVID-19 pandemic, with competition in technological leadership and confronting military expansionism, human rights and unfair trade practices. This will be a more strategic approach, as opposed to Trump’s ad hoc and transactional tactics. 

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