White House National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien Says Biden Will ‘Stand Up To China’

Aircraft carriers the USS Ronald Reagan (bottom) and USS Nimitz were both recently deployed for drills in the South China Sea. Image: Handout/US Navy 

Washington Examiner: Trump adviser tells allies Biden will ‘stand up to China’ 

President-elect Joe Biden’s foreign policy team will stand by the “bipartisan consensus” about the threats emanating from China, according to one of President Trump’s top advisers. 

“We’ve got such a series of unfair and difficult conduct on behalf of the Chinese that there’s a bipartisan consensus in America that we have to stand up to China,” White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien said while traveling this week in the Philippines. 

O’Brien, who highlighted a donation of “precision-guided missiles and munitions” to help the Philippine Armed Forces fight against the Islamic State’s East Asia offshoot, reiterated that Biden will enjoy a “professional” transfer of power “if the courts don’t rule in President Trump’s favor.” And he noted that some of that litigation is still pending. 

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Update #1: A final push: In Manila, a Trump adviser sets the stage for Joe Biden (Rappler) 

Update #2: The Biden administration and the South China Sea (Asia Times) 

Update #3: How Biden Should Handle the South China Sea Disputes (War On The Rocks) 

WNU Editor: I do not share White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien's confidence that a Biden administration will follow President Trump's policies toward China, especially on tariffs and trade .... Most U.S. companies optimistic about doing business in China after Biden's win, survey finds (CNBC).