The Biden administration’s continued attacks on China: Structural problems in U.S.-China relations 

Kim Kisoo 

(jincs@sejong.org) 

Senior Research Fellow, 

the Sejong Institute 

Abstract

The Biden administration has not adopted China-friendly policies for various reasons. This article explains the structural contradiction between the U.S. and China as the primary reason. Great powers with different ideas and actions have historically failed to overcome structural contradictions and clashes. Vice President Pence had once said, in his speech upon bringing China into the World Trade Organization, that China would eventually liberalize and embrace democracy. Such optimism for liberalization, however, led to a confrontation between the two countries; China’s liberalization would be a prerequisite for there to be no structural contradiction between the U.S. and China. However, China has challenged the hegemony of the U.S. by asserting its position as a new great power and its relations with new great powers. It should be noted that the U.S. has not avoided head-on matches when it came to ideological conflicts and hegemonic competition.