- 36% of respondents in a new Insider poll say Biden is weak against China.
- The poll found that 33% of respondents feel that Biden’s position on China is ‘about right’.
- Biden has received criticism from Republicans accusing him of being weak in Beijing.
- Visit the Insider Business Department for more stories.
Nearly four out of ten respondents (36%) in a new Insider poll said President Joe Biden’s policies towards China were weak or too weak.
Participants in the poll were asked: How do you feel about the Biden government’s position on China?
Here’s an outline of the poll’s findings on how America feels about Biden’s China policy:
- Nearly 5% said it was too difficult.
- Nearly 9% said it was difficult.
- About 33% said “it’s about right.”
- 14% said it was weak.
- 22% said it was too weak.
- Nearly 17% said, “I do not know.”
The poll found a significant difference in how respondents answered the question based on their apparent political affiliation.
Of the respondents who said they were likely to vote in the Democratic primary or caucus in their state, a majority (about 55%) said Biden’s position on China was ‘about right’. Just under 15% of this group said Biden’s China policy was ‘weak’ or ‘too weak’.
Compared to about 46% of respondents who said they would likely vote in the Republican primary or caucus of their state, Biden’s China policy said ‘too weak’.
Since his presidential campaign, Republicans and right-wing experts have repeatedly accused Biden of being too soft on China. But the president’s policy toward Beijing has not shifted drastically from that seen under President Donald Trump. Biden, for example, did not get rid of the Trump tariffs on China that were in the midst of a controversial trade war.
The Biden government has made the challenge of China’s ever – growing world influence a top priority, as well as the violation of human rights in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.
“Competition with China is going to be tough,” Biden said at the Munich Security Conference last week, calling on the US and Europe to “push back against the Chinese government’s economic abuse and coercion”.
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said Trump was correct in taking a tough stance with China, but questioned the former president’s methods.
Meanwhile, some progressives in Congress have warned Biden against a new Cold War with China because Republicans want to portray him as weak toward Beijing.
SurveyMonkey polls from a national sample, balanced by census data of age and gender. Respondents are encouraged to complete surveys through charitable contributions. In general, digital voices tend to move people with Internet access. SurveyMonkey Audience is not trying to weigh its sample based on race or income. Voting data collected 1,154 respondents on February 22, 2021 with a margin of error of 3 percentage point.