The Debate Debacle Overshadowed a China Policy Train Wreck

I have nothing to add to the cacophony of hot takes about the presidential debate. Yes, Biden (and the Democratic Party, and America) is in trouble.

Electorally, the only thing that the debate revealed is that even media outlets that have mindlessly cheered on the Biden administration come what may the past three years now recognize that such propagandizing only goes so far.

But what about policy in the real world? We should be worried about that even while we’re distracted by the show, which is all a debate really is—a show. Yes, there’s a way in which Rome is burning; we’re in an era where it’s never not burning. The (justified) emotional hysteria hinders our ability to consider what else we might glean from the show.

So that’s what I want to address quickly. During the debate, there were two points where China came up in meaningful ways. In both instances, the substance of what was said revealed some problematic things about China policy. That both presidents’ verbal vomit about China escaped any kind of critique at all is, frankly, jarring—and why I’m writing this.