The two presidential candidates also hold opposing positions on foreign policy. Donald Trump is in favor of the US withdrawing from conflicts abroad. Kamala Harris, on the other hand, wants to stick to the current joint policy with foreign allies and form a counterweight to foreign aggressors.
Both the Republicans and the Democrats have recognized over the years that an anti-China policy wins points with voters.3 Nevertheless, the two parties are pursuing different approaches in their dialog with the world’s second-largest economy. While the Democrats are pursuing a collaborative strategy, the Republicans are more of a “hardliner”. The Republicans therefore tend to focus on promoting the local economy, increasing import duties, and putting Chinese companies on the “Entity List”.4 This form of protectionism is ultimately paid for by consumers, whose goods become more expensive as long as they cannot be replaced by locally produced alternatives.
3 https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2024/05/01/americans-remain-critical-of-china/
4 The “Entity List” is a list maintained by the US government of foreign persons, companies and organizations that are classified as national security risks and that are subject to export restrictions and licensing requirements for the export of certain technologies and goods.