After months of Republican concern that Joe Biden would be soft on Beijing, the new US president received unexpected praise from a leading China hawk after less than two weeks in the White House.
“President Biden [and his team] are off to a great start on China,” Robert O’Brien, the final national security adviser to Donald Trump said at an US Institute of Peace event with his successor, Jake Sullivan.
Following four years of turbulent policymaking, Democrats and Republicans expect a more structured approach under Mr Biden. But experts are watching closely for signs of how hawkish he will be towards the most important US bilateral relationship.