Trump’s pick for VP JD Vance brands China as biggest threat

In a Monday interview with Fox News, Vance called China the “biggest threat” to the U.S., and said that Washington’s continued support for Ukraine in its war against Russia has “completely distracted” the U.S. from focusing on the “real issue, which is China.”

Donald Trump, now officially the Republican presidential nominee for the November election, made a tough policy on China the centerpiece of his foreign policy in his previous administration, sparking a trade war with Beijing after hiking tariffs on Chinese imports. 

Here’s what JD Vance, the new vice presidential nominee, thinks about the world’s second-largest economy.

Tariffs and trade

During his 2021 Senate campaign, Vance blamed China for U.S. job losses, and more recently he’s talked about bringing jobs back to the U.S. and protecting U.S. industries “from all the competition” in a May CBS interview.

Trump has said he would raise tariffs on China even further, potentially as high as 60%, if he wins office again. 

Vance has publicly endorsed Trump’s call to increase tariffs on China though he has not openly committed to a number. 

Congressional legislation

Since becoming Senator for Ohio, Vance has introduced legislation to restrict China from accessing U.S. financial markets and exchanges, alleging that China violates international law and manipulates international currency.

He also introduced other legislation that would tighten rules around foreign donations to U.S. institutions of higher education, citing concerns that the Chinese government would be able to exert influence over American universities and students.

Climate change

Vance is critical of climate change related efforts like the push to use more renewable energy. He has questioned if humans are solely responsible for driving climate change, a notable change from his stance in 2020 when he blamed “unrestrained emissions” from China for the world’s climate problems. 

Vance has also introduced legislation that would eliminate U.S. EV subsidies in favor of providing subsidies for internal combustion engine vehicles built with American parts or labour.

Ukraine vs. Taiwan

At the Munich security conference this year, Vance argued that U.S. military efforts should not be focused on Europe but instead on East Asia, a region he thinks will be the focus of American foreign policy for the next few decades. Vance believes that American Patriot missiles sent to Ukraine come at the expense of Taiwan. 

In another interview with Fox News in April 2023, Vance revealed that he’s largely supportive of arming the Taiwan region, as he believes a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be negative for the United States because of the self-ruled island’s large role in the semiconductor industry.

“If the Taiwanese fall to China, it will cause a Great Depression in this country. We have to prevent that from happening,” Vance said on the show Fox & Friends then. 

Vance is also critical of Taiwan’s control of the chips sector, saying the “Taiwanese control the American information technology industry because we allowed them to manufacture all of our computer chips.”