Commentary
President Joe Biden seems unwilling to help American trade and investment interests, at least as far as China is concerned.  U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Catherine Tai has demanded that Beijing live up to the promises it made in the Phase 1 trade agreement with the Trump administration. But at the same time, she has promised not to “escalate,” signaling that little would happen if Beijing failed to keep those promises. Especially on the issue of China’s decades-long drive to acquire American technology and intellectual property, there is little reason to look for relief.
Beijing’s primary way to grab the fruits of American innovation comes through its insistence that any U.S. firm operating in China will have a Chinese partner to which it must transfer its trade secrets and technology. Though not strictly illegal, Beijing’s insistence does fly in the face of international norms. But this is not China’s only way to acquire technologies and business secrets….