Washington, D.C. – Foreign Policy for America (FP4A), a nonpartisan organization advocating for strong, principled U.S. foreign policy, commends U.S. President Joe Biden for meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. FP4A believes that the resumption of high-level dialogue between Washington and Beijing will stabilize the deteriorating relationship and safeguard American interests.
According to a recent opinion research project by FP4A and National Security Action on the U.S.-China relationship, the American public supports a smart and firm approach with China that avoids war and invests in American’s strengths. The poll, conducted in September 2023, led to several key findings:
A clear majority of respondents (73%) say the U.S. should hold high-level diplomatic talks with China;
More voters (76%) consider China a “competitor” than an “enemy” (21%);
78% of voters say our leaders should focus more on working to avoid a military conflict, while only 22% say leaders should focus more on preparing for one; and
Voters are more concerned about growing tensions escalating into conflict than about the U.S. not being strong enough or standing up to China, by a 16-point margin (58% to 42%)
“High-level diplomacy like this meeting between President Biden and President Xi is exactly what’s needed to manage tensions, protect the economic interests of American families, and prevent misunderstandings from spiraling us toward conflict,” said Andrew Albertson, Executive Director of FP4A. “The American people understand that, and that’s what our polling reflects.”
“Letting the problems in the U.S.-China relationship fester is not a strategy for success,” said Bill Monahan, Senior Director for Policy at FP4A. “President Biden is taking a firm and smart approach —backed by significant actions taken by both the White House and Congress to bolster our resilience and economy through the CHIPS and Science Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law— to address concerns before they compound into bigger, more intractable problems.”
FP4A and National Security Action carried out the U.S.-China Opinion Research Project in partnership with Hart Research and GBAO Strategies. A briefing of the report can be found here.
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