China faces no-win scenario regardless of who tops the US presidential debates: analysts

The two candidates differ only in how they will wage strategic competition against China, and Beijing must ‘prepare for both scenarios’, observers say

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US President Joe Biden struggled at times in the highly anticipated presidential debate with rival Donald Trump. Photo: dpa

Published: 11:00pm, 28 Jun 2024Updated: 4:34am, 29 Jun 2024

Despite a subdued performance by the incumbent, the debate between US President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump did not tilt the race definitively towards the challenger, according to diplomacy experts in China who watched the event.

Regardless of which candidate wins in the November election, the result would be the same “harmful competition” with China seen as a strategic rival, despite their different tactics, they said.

“This debate is unlikely to be a game changer in the current campaign landscape, where Trump is leading in overall polls and swing state polls,” said Diao Daming, a professor of international relations at Beijing’s Renmin University. “It might put Biden at a disadvantage against Trump among some key states and voter groups.”

Things could change in the rematch over the next 130 days, and Biden’s shaky position in the polls might be a result of less consolidated support from Democratic voters, in stark contrast to the more unified support Trump enjoys from Republican voters, he added.

“Even if Biden’s performance fell short of expectations, the first debate was held early, by historical standards, which could give Biden time to mitigate or minimise the adverse impact of this debate on his election bid,” Diao said, noting that Biden’s team would certainly be under more pressure now.