Harris Isn’t Looking to Pick New Fights With China, Unlike Trump

  • Aide says she helps ‘responsibly manage’ China competition
  • Contrasts with Trump talk of 60% tariffs on China imports
Kamala Harris and Xi Jinping meet in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2022.Photographer: Ding Haitao/Xinhua/Getty Images
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Kamala Harris is betting that Americans don’t want an all-out confrontation when they tell pollsters they’d like their leaders to get even tougher on China.

Faced with polling that says most Americans believe confronting China should be a top foreign-policy priority, Harris’ campaign messaging suggests that while she won’t go easy on China, there’s no upside in a greater rupture between the world’s two biggest economies. That contrasts with her rival Donald Trump, who’s argued for 60% tariffs on Chinese imports.