China s Message to America: We re an Equal Now – WSJ

In Beijing s corridors of power, Mr. Trump was derisively known as a great unifier America s aggressive actions were unifying support in China for the party and Mr. Xi.

America s chaotic pandemic response, followed by a summer of racial upheaval and the Jan. 6 Capitol storming, solidified his faith in the Chinese system s superiority, Chinese officials say. In internal meetings, they say, he compares American democracy to a sheet of loose sand and declares that the one-party system allows him to get things done.

With Mr. Biden in the White House, China has continued a hard-line approach, signaling that companies not following Beijing s rules will lose access to the Chinese market. Swedish clothing brand Hennes & Mauritz AB recently met with a strong social-media rage and consumer boycott in China over its stance against sourcing cotton from Xinjiang. Chinese authorities have restricted military personnel and employees of certain state-owned companies from using electric vehicles made by America s Tesla Inc., citing national-security risks including concerns about the cars cameras. H&M declined to comment. Tesla, which didn t respond to requests for comment, said last week that its cameras aren t activated outside North America.

Nobody has forced them to stay in China, Mr. Yang said in Anchorage, regarding U.S. companies doing business in China.

via www.wsj.com