The percentage of Americans who saw China unfavorably rose from 47 percent in 2017 to 73 percent in 2020.36 The 2020 presidential election became a contest in China-bashing. And when Trump lost that election, the basic thrust of U.S. policy hardly changed. President Joe Biden, who had once bragged about his close relationship with Xi Jinping, now pledged to prosecute “extreme competition” against the CCP.
