SCMP Conversations: US Election 2020

As voters in the United States prepare for November’s presidential election, the most crucial foreign policy question has revolved around the potential ramifications on the future of US-China relations if incumbent President Donald Trump remains in office for another four years, or if his adversary Joe Biden takes his place. While both candidates are expected to take a hard-line stance toward China and overall relations are almost certain to remain challenging — particularly as they are likely to remain locked in a strategic competition for economic and technological dominance — the results of the election will undoubtedly determine a shift in the dynamics that are currently shaping global governance and diplomacy, not only between the two countries, but across the world. The US Election 2020 webinar series will bring together diplomats, academics and US-China relations experts to discuss and debate the subtle, yet highly impactful differences in approach toward China between the two candidates and how the winner of the US presidential election will influence the world’s most important diplomatic relationship in the years to come.