On January 20, 2021, Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46^th president of the United States, offering a chance to change the course of US-China relations, which had hit a low point under the outgoing Trump administration.

The four years witnessed escalating trade tensions culminating in a trade war as well as sanctions on Chinese technology companies.

Since Biden’s election, political and business stakeholders have been paying close attention to the direction of the new White House administration’s policy towards China.

Will the Biden administration be accommodating of China or take advantage of the new status quo established under his predecessor?

China Briefing previously monitored and documented major developments during the US-China trade war in the Trump-era.

Here, we present a fresh timeline that will track key developments affecting bilateral ties between the world’s two largest economies under the Biden administration.

US-China relations in the Biden-era

Day 154: June 23 – US bans imports of solar panel material from Xinjiang

The US Commerce Department ordered a ban on US imports of a key solar panel material from Chinese-based Hoshine Silicon Industry Co., Ltd. over forced labor allegations, according to Reuters.

The ban also curtailed US supplier relationships with five Chinese companies – Hoshine Silicon Industry Co., Ltd.; Xinjiang Daqo New Enevery, a unit of Daqo New Energy Corporation; Xinjiang East Hope non-ferrous Metals, a subsidiary of Shanghai-based manufacturing giant East Hope Group; Xinjiang GCL New Energy Material, part of GCL New Energy Holdings; and the paramilitary Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC).

Some of the companies listed by the US Commerce Department are major manufacturers of monocrystalline silicon and polysilicon that are used in solar panel production.

Day 145: June 14 – NATO shifts focus to China, declaring it a global security challenge

Following the G7 Summit, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) leaders declared that China presents a global security risk, at their annual summit in Brussels. The traditionally Russia-focused military alliance for the first time shifted its focus to China, asserting the need to respond to Beijing’s growing power.

The final communiqué, signed off by leaders of the 30-member alliance, asserts that China’s “stated ambitions and assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order”. The newly passed NATO 2030 strategy demands that the alliance member states spend more resources on dealing with China’s growing global influence.

As a response, China warned NATO that it will not sit back in the face of any challenges. A statement posted Tuesday on the website of China’s mission to the European Union said that Beijing did not pose a “systemic challenge” to any country and added NATO should not exaggerate China’s military power.

Day 144, June 13 – G7 leaders criticized China on Xinjiang and Hong Kong

During the three-day summit of the Group of Seven (G7), the leaders of the wealthy democracies criticized Beijing over human rights in its Xinjiang region, called for Hong Kong to keep a high degree of autonomy, and demanded a full investigation of the origins of the coronavirus in China.

The G7 communique said: “with regard to China, and competition in the global economy, we will continue to consult on collective approaches to challenging non-market policies and practices which undermine the fair and transparent operation of the global economy.”

In response, China’s embassy in the UK accused the G7 of “baseless accusations”. “Stop slandering China, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and stop harming China’s interests,” a spokesman said on Monday.

Day 142: June 11 – China’s top diplomat Yang and US Secretary of State Blinken hold phone conversation

On Friday, China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, held a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Blinken underscored US concerns over issues in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Taiwan and stressed the need for a second phase investigation into the origins of COVID-19. He also raised several cases of US and Canadian citizens subject to detention and exit bans in China, according to a statement from the Office of the Spokesperson of the White House.

In turn, Yang urged the US to abide by the one-China principle, according to a statement from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He criticized Washington DC for interfering in China’s internal affairs, slandering China over COVID-19, and pushing “pseudo-multilateralism” by forming anti-China cliques.

Despite disagreements over the above issues, Blinken put forward an expanded list of areas for US-China cooperation, including the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, “shared global challenges” brought by Iran and Burma, and the climate crisis.

Day 141: June 10 – China passes a new law to counter US and EU sanctions

China’s national legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC), approved the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law. The new law offers legal foundation for China to counter US and EU sanctions over trade, technology, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang.

According to the law, individuals or entities involved in making or implementing discriminatory measures against Chinese citizens or entities could be put on an anti-sanctions list. Those on the list may be denied entry into China or be expelled from the country. Their assets within China may be seized, detained, or frozen. They could be prohibited or restricted from doing business or other activities there. Chinese authorities also have the power to take countermeasures against other individuals or organizations with specific ties to blacklisted individuals or entities.

Day 141: June 10 – China and US hold a third talk on trade and investment in two weeks

China’s Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao spoke with US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo over the phone. The call followed two similar discussions between Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

A statement from China’s Commerce Ministry said that both sides “had a candid and pragmatic exchange of views on relevant issues and mutual concerns in the China-US business field.”

Day 140: June 9 – Biden drops Trump attempt to ban TikTok and WeChat, but the scrutiny will continue

US President Joe Biden withdrew a series of Trump-era executive orders that sought to ban new downloads of China-owned apps WeChat and TikTok. To replace the Trump-era ban, Biden signed new orders calling for the Commerce Department to launch national security reviews of apps with links to foreign adversaries, including China.

Day 139: June 8, 2021 – US Senate passes the Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 to compete with China

The US Senate voted 68-32 to approve a sweeping piece of legislation, named the US Innovation and Competition Act of 2021, intended to boost the country’s ability to compete with Chinese technology.

The bill would invest more than US$250 billion into American semiconductor manufacturing, boosting the National Science Foundation, creating regional technology hubs, and spurring 5G innovation.

The Senate’s action highlights a rare bipartisan consensus in Congress on the US strategy for responding to China’s rise.

Day 134: June 3, 2021 – Biden expands Trump-era ban on American investment into Chinese firms

US President Joe Biden issued a new executive order barring American investment into Chinese firms with purported ties to defense or surveillance technology sectors.

The new order expands on an earlier Trump-era blacklist and hits 59 Chinese firms, including the communications giant Huawei. Many of the newly targeted companies are subsidiaries and affiliates of major state-owned companies and businesses named on the earlier blacklist.

American investors will be banned from buying or selling publicly traded securities in targeted companies, beginning August 2, 2021, when the new order takes effect.

Day 132: June 1, 2021 – Chinese and US economic chiefs Liu He and Janet Yellen hold virtual talks

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen held a video meeting over economic ties, the second between senior officials from both sides in the past week. The readouts of the meeting were similar to that of the last one between Liu He and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported the two sides exchanged views on the macroeconomic situation and on the cooperation between the US and China. According to Xinhua, “the two sides believed that the China-U.S. economic relations are very important”.

The US Trade Representative Office (USTR) released its own statement as well: “Treasury Secretary Yellen discussed the Biden Administration’s plans to support a continued strong economic recovery and the importance of cooperating on areas that are in US interests, while at the same time frankly tackling issues of concern.”

Day 127: May 26, 2021 – China, US hold first trade talk since Biden took office

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He spoke by phone with US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, making it the first such conversation on trade between the two sides since President Joe Biden took office.

“In a spirit of mutual equality and mutual respect, the two sides conducted candid, pragmatic, and constructive exchanges,” China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement, “The two sides agreed that the development of bilateral trade is very important.”

The US Trade Representative Office (USTR) said in its statement that Tai had “discussed the guiding principles of the Biden-Harris Administration’s worker-centered trade policy and her ongoing review of the U.S.-China trade relationship, while also raising issues of concern.”

Day 92: April 21, 2021 – US Senate Foreign Relations Committee approves the Strategic Competition Act of 2021, signaling bipartisan consensus on China Strategy

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has approved the Strategic Competition Act of 2021, signaling bipartisan consensus on orienting US policy towards being more aggressive in efforts to counter China.

The Strategic Competition Act of 2021 was amended to provide more aid to Africa and Latin America to counter China’s financial aid to these countries, grant greater funding for US technology industries, and strengthen the US International Development Finance Corp to compete against the China Development Bank, which has played an instrumental role in Beijing’s signature Belt and Road Initiative.

The bill is expected to pass the Senate and House of Representatives due to broad bipartisan support.

Day 87: April 16, 2021 – US and Japan pledge to strengthen alliance to counter China’ rise

US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga committedto working together to take on the challenges from China, at a joint news preference in the White House Rose Garden.

The two leaders addressed an array of geopolitical issues in a joint announcement, including “the importance of peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait”. In another swipe at China, the US and Japan announced to invest together in areas such as 5G, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, genomics, and semiconductor supply chains.

The Chinese embassy in Washington expressed “strong concern” and “firm opposition” to the joint statement, saying China will firmly safeguard its national sovereignty, security, and development interests.

Day 87: April 16, 2021 – US and China announce joint statement addressing the climate crisis

US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and China Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua met in Shanghai on April 15 and 16, 2021 and announced a joint statement.

According to the statement, the two sides will cooperate with each other and with other countries to “tackle the climate crisis”. The two sides will also “cooperate to promote a successful COP 26 in Glasgow, aiming to complete the implementation arrangements for the Paris Agreement”.

The statement was released after John Kerry’s three-day visit to Shanghai, which was the first official trip to China by a Biden Administration official.

Day 79: April 8, 2021 – US senators introduces the Strategic Competition Act of 2021, seeking to counter China

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Democratic Chairman, Senator Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey), and the Republican Senator of Idaho, Jim Risch, introduced a bipartisan agreement entitled the Strategic Competition Act of 2021. The nearly 300-page Act seeks to counter the expanding global influence of China.

The bill set out the following policy goal: to “sustain its [US] global leadership role” and asserted that the Chinese government has been leveraging its political, diplomatic, economic, military, technological, and ideological power to compete with the US on the global stage.

If enacted, the bill would place additional sanctions on Chinese officials accused of alleged human rights abuses in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, authorize funds to “promote democracy” in Hong Kong, and void all restrictions on US officials’ interaction with Taiwanese counterparts. It will also establish a program to help Indo-Pacific countries develop infrastructure to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and would expand the scope of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) to monitor relationships between Chinese and American educational institutions.

Day 79: April 8, 2021 – US blacklists seven Chinese supercomputing entities 

The US Commerce Department added seven Chinese supercomputing entities to its Entity List, citing activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the US.

The seven entities are Tianjin Phytium Information Technology, Shanghai High-Performance Integrated Circuit Design Center, Sunway Microelectronics, the National Supercomputing Center Jinan, the National Supercomputing Center Shenzhen, the National Supercomputing Center Wuxi, and the National Supercomputing Center Zhengzhou.

American companies are barred from doing business with companies on the entity list without first obtaining a US government license.

Day 62: March 22, 2021 – EU, US, UK, and Canada sanctions China over alleged Xinjiang human rights issue

The EU sanctioned four Chinese individuals, including a top security director, for alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang. Similar steps were followed by the US, UK, and Canada. The US, on the same day, sanctioned two Chinese government officials in connection with what they called the “serious” human rights abuses against ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.

In retaliation, China sanctioned back 10 EU citizens and four entities. The tit-for-tat sanctions put EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investments (“CAI”) in doubt.

Businesses are caught in the geopolitical crossfire. Some leading Western apparel brands like H&M, Nike, Adidas, and Burberry faced backlash and boycotts in China due to their stated concerns over the alleged use of forced labor in Xinjiang.

Day 58-60: March 18-20, 2021 – US and China hold the first high-level meeting in Alaska

The US and China concluded their first high-level face-to-face meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.

After one session of heated arguments in front of reporters and two sessions of closed-door discussions, the Secretary of the US Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and their Chinese counterparts China’s top foreign affairs official Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi ended their two-day meeting – without releasing a joint statement.

During the first day’s open session, both sides leveled sharp rebukes of the other’s policies for over an hour. Blinken said in his opening remarks that the US would discuss its “deep concerns with actions by China, including in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan, cyberattacks on the US, economic coercion toward our allies.”

Yang Jiechi accused the US of being “condescending” in its tone and retorted that the US had been misusing its military and financial might and abusing the notion of national security to obstruct trade flows and incite anti-China sentiment.

After the meeting, the two sides separately released announcements, in which they both identified limited areas of cooperation and coordination with respect to climate change and geopolitical issues related to Iran, North Korea, Myanmar, and Afghanistan, while acknowledging “fundamental” disagreements regarding Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet, and Taiwan issues.

Day 57, March 17, 2021 – US telecom regulator moves against Chinese telecom firms over national security concerns 

US telecom regulator the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the launch of a proceeding to determine whether to strip the local business license from China Unicom Americas as well as Pacific Networks and its wholly-owned subsidiary ComNet, citing national security concerns.

Last December, the FCC opened a similar proceeding to begin revoking the authorization of China Telecom, the largest state-owned Chinese telecommunication company, which has had US authorization for nearly 20 years.

Day 57, March 17, 2021 – US sanctions 24 Mainland China and Hong Kong officials ahead of Alaska talks

The US sanctions an additional 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials over Beijing’s policy in Hong Kong. Foreign financial institutions that knowingly conduct significant transactions with the listed individuals will be subject to the US sanctions.

The sanctions announcement was made during a visit by the US State Secretary Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Japan and South Korea.

Day 52: March 12, 2021 – Five Chinese companies including Huawei are backlisted by US telecom regulator

Five Chinese companies – Huawei Technologies Co., ZTE Corp., Hytera Communications Corp., Hikvision Digital Technology Co., and Dahua Technology Co. – were named to a new blacklist published by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on national security grounds under a 2019 law.

This makes the FCC the latest regulator to maintain such a list. Other agencies with similar lists include the US Department of Commerce and the Department of Defense. Each list carries different implications, though they are all designed to steer investors, suppliers, and customers away from the companies – sometimes forcibly.

Day 51: March 11, 2021 – US and China to hold their first high-level meeting since Biden’s inauguration

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will meet with China’s most senior foreign policy official, Yang Jiechi, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Anchorage, Alaska on March 18, according to the US State Department. The meeting will take place following Secretary Blinken’s visit to Tokyo and Seoul.

The talks are to be a one-off, as per blunt statements from US officials, following which there will be expectations upon Beijing to choose the trajectory of engagement.

Day 50: March 10, 2021 – The US extends tariff exclusion on Chinese medical products

The Biden administration is extending tariff exclusions on about 99 categories of medical products from China until September 30, 2021 – to aid the fight against COVID-19, according to the notice released by the Office of the United State Trade Representative (USTR).

The exclusion covers a wide range of items from medical masks and gloves to blood pressure cuff sleeves and X-ray tables. The earlier tariff exclusion extension on these medical products under Trump administration’s ‘Section 301’ tariffs was set to lapse on March 31, 2021.

Day 22: February 10, 2021 – President Xi Jinping and Joe Biden break the ice with phone call

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, the US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping had the first phone call since Biden took office.

While both leaders extended festival greetings to the other, the US side emphasized concerns raised on economic practices, human rights, and Taiwan, while China focused on mutual respect, cooperation, and dialogue.

Day 17: February 5, 2021 – Top US and China diplomats talk over phone for the first time since Biden takes office 

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with China’s top foreign policy official, Yang Jiechi, in their first high-level conversation since President Joe Biden took office.

Blinken stressed on human rights and the ongoing military coup in Myanmar, while Yang called for Washington to stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and respect China’s sovereignty.

Day 2: January 21, 2021 – China sanctions Pompeo and other Trump administration officials

China announced a sanction against 28 Trump administration officials, including the former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, accusing them of interfering in its internal affairs. The sanction would ban the officials and their families from entering China and place restrictions on companies associated with them.

Day 1: January 20, 2021 – Joe Biden gets sworn in as the next US president 

Newly sworn in, US President Joe Biden delivered his inaugural address and signed a flurry of executive orders on his first day in office. Biden prioritized issues like COVID-19 virus, climate change, and inequality and racism.

In dealing with China, Biden signaled he was in no rush to depart from the Trump administration’s policies. The same day, Biden’s aides, including the nominee for Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and the nominee for Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, indicated that the president planned to take a multilateral approach by enlisting the support of Western allies to maximize Washington’s leverage on Beijing.

This timeline was first published on March 17, 2021 and will show rolling updates.

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This article was originally posted on March 22, 2021 and last updated on June 24, 2021.

(China Briefing is written and produced by Dezan Shira & Associates. The practice assists foreign investors into China and has done so since 1992 through offices in Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Please contact the firm for assistance in China at [email protected]. 

Dezan Shira & Associates has offices in Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, United States, Germany, Italy, India, and Russia, in addition to our trade research facilities along the Belt & Road Initiative. We also have partner firms assisting foreign investors in The Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh.)