Kamala Harris is betting that Americans don’t want an all-out confrontation when they tell pollsters they’d like their leaders to get even tougher on China.
Faced with polling that says most Americans believe confronting China should be a top foreign-policy priority, Harris’ campaign messaging suggests that while she won’t go easy on China, there’s no upside in a greater rupture between the world’s two biggest economies. That contrasts with her rival Donald Trump, who’s argued for 60% tariffs on Chinese imports.
Harris has been part of efforts to "responsibly manage the competition with China,” her top foreign policy aide, Phil Gordon, wrote in a note soon after President Joe Biden stepped down from the race. In keeping with Harris’ scant policy platform so far, the note didn’t mention tariffs at all.