, Columnist
Biden’s Search for ‘Guardrails’ May Make China More Dangerous
Nobody wants a war, but dialogue for the sake of dialogue can be a distraction, or even a trap, for the U.S.
Talking the talk.
Photographer: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
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When President Joe Biden took office, he vowed to pursue “extreme competition” with China as part of a historic struggle between democracy and autocracy. Now, his administration is saying that it wants “healthy” competition, in which mutually accepted “guardrails” prevent Washington and Beijing from plunging into the abyss.
It is hard to argue, in principle, with efforts to reduce the risk of war between the world’s greatest powers. In practice, the search for guardrails could prove to be a distraction, or even a trap, for the U.S.