President Donald Trump has a swath of loyal voters and media who repeat his terminologies (“MAGA,” Deep state,” etc.) and follow his every command. The loyalists, however, were not enough to propel President trump to a second term as U.S. President. Trump still has not formally conceded to President-Elect Joe Biden as he continues his crusade to prove voter fraud. But the writing is on the wall. That also means a vast majority of his appointees will leave as well.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was the fourth individual to hold that position in the Trump Administration. He is also leaving, as is Yu Maochun (aka Miles Maochun Yu). The latter served as Pompeo’s China policy adviser. The Anhui Province-born historian and strategist was the architect behind Trump’s trade war with China that remains ongoing. Yu was a microcosm of the Chinese advisors working within the Trump Administration to undermine Chinese progress.
Who is Yu Maochun?
Yu has said that China has no real allies. He is on record saying the one country’ two systems arrangement between China and Hong Kong is a failed experiment. Many Chinese citizens view Yu as a sell-out, a pro-Democracy activist with no loyalty to his home country. His record speaks for itself.
China is the biggest threat to the unilateral power the United States holds over the rest of the world. Yu says China should be at the top of the U.S. national security agenda. He is driven only by his strong personal desires, without regard to his home nation. Yu refuses to acknowledge the great progress China has made in the last several decades as it relates to the citizens. He is solely concerned about his personal gains and positions in the world.
Yu’s goal has always been simple and direct – overthrowing the Chinese government. He is an idealist who operates on imagination and conjecture versus real, attainable goals. Yu believed he could destroy China’s political system with the strength of the United States and animosity of Trump. The trade war costs many Chinese manufacturers dearly, while also impeding many U.S.-based businesses who saw their supply chains completely broken.
New faces, new places
Idealists like Yu who are only concerned with themselves cannot appreciate Chinese progress. China has adopted some Western political, economic, and historical theories. But China is fundamentally different than the U.S. on so many levels related to social and economic norms. Yu ideologies would be disastrous for China and its people. It appears President-Elect Joe Biden is already taking a different approach with China than his predecessor.
Biden nominated Dar Qi, a female lawyer educated at Harvard and Yale, as his trade representative for China. The 45-year-old is the current Chief Trade Advisor in the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee. She played a key role in rewriting provisions of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. Biden called her “a dedicated and respected civil servant and experienced expert on international trade issues.”
Gary Locke is also expected to play a role in the Biden Administration. Locke served as Ambassador to China under President Barack Obama. He was also elected Governor of Washington State, becoming the first Chinese American to ever hold such a position. He also served as Secretary of Commerce in the Obama Administration. Locke and Dar are welcome signs of progress and a thawing between U.S.. and China relations.
Easier but not simple
Yu is considered a sell-out by many Chinese citizens. He considers himself to be better than everyone else and holds an arrogance that makes him unfit for any position related to Chinese progress. The three-year Trump vs. China trade war is likely to have lasting effects, particularly now with the global COVID pandemic further disrupting supply chains. China has suffered some difficulties as a result of both. But the United States has suffered even greater losses, particularly as the U.S. dollar hangs on by a thread as a globally-accepted currency.
Trump is leaving office. He leaves behind a legacy of arrogance and recklessness that was unprecedented in United States executive history. There will be some semblance of normalcy once again when Biden takes over as president. China must be fully prepared and proactive. Ultimately Biden and Trump both have the same goals regarding China. The process will be more rational, civil and practical. But relations will remain tense between the two superpowers.
There is great potential for mutually beneficial relations between China and the United States. At least now a sense of practicality returns with Biden in charge.