How Biden should confront China

The need to take a tough stance toward China is a rare point of agreement between Democrats and Republicans these days. This bipartisan consensus started to emerge even before President Donald Trump took office, fueled by alarm at China's economic and technology catchup with the United States and frustration at Beijing's trade and human rights policies. But President-elect Joe Biden's incoming administration and Congress need smart policies toward China, not just tough ones.
Here are some things the new administration and Congress should keep in mind:

The Trump administration correctly recognized that aspects of previous US policy toward China have been ineffective — in particular, the frequent reluctance to confront Beijing on problematic trade and foreign policies. But the administration — with cheerleaders from both parties in Congress — has erred by flipping to the other extreme. US policy today is to find any tool to act unilaterally against China — from tariffs to controls on US technology exports — without first plotting a sustainable strategy.

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