Biden exacerbates Trump's trade dispute with China

 "Anyone who believed that Joe Biden would be a little more conciliatory with China than his predecessor Donald Trump will be taught better these days. The opposite is the case: The US President is not only sticking to the punitive tariffs and economic sanctions Trump had imposed on the People's Republic in recent years, he is even tightening it in parts. Late on Thursday evening, for example, Biden signed a decree expanding the list of Chinese companies in which Americans are no longer allowed to invest from 48 to 59 companies. 

In addition to corporations with actual or alleged links to the military, this also affects companies that indirectly participate in the oppression of minorities, for example by delivering surveillance cameras to the country's authorities. 

The economic and trade war between the two leading great powers of the world is thus entering the next round. The Wall Street Journal quoted a senior US official as saying that Biden's order was "part of a broader strategy designed to increase competition with China and defend ourselves against any actions that run counter to our interests and values "."