Senators Grapple With China Policy in Wake of Spy Balloon Incident
With hostile acts like China recently sending a spy balloon drifting across the U.S., Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said it's difficult to manage the U.S.-China relationship "when our economies are deeply integrated."
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Coons, and former Republican Sen. Rob Portman, spoke at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition conference in Delaware on Feb. 6.
Portman said he's worried that there isn't enough government-to-government communication with China, and that China could make a mistake and invade Taiwan. He called Taiwan the biggest issue in the China relationship.
"I was in Taiwan last year," he said, and noted that 90% of high-end semiconductors are still made in Taiwan. "We should do a trade agreement with them, by the way," he said.
Portman said he negotiated with China when he was U.S. trade representative, and he knows that U.S. officials have to be very clear about their priorities. "They're a tough adversary and they don’t play fair," he said. But still, he said, the U.S. wants to keep the focus on competition, and not have the relationship become one between two enemies.
Coons agreed, and said that the U.S. will be in a stronger position if Republicans and Democrats agree on an approach on China.
"We can’t afford to make the mistake of simplistic and jingoistic solutions," he said.