Barack Obama’s “pivot to Asia” had diplomatic and military components, but its centerpiece was the TPP, which was designed to have significant geopolitical as well as economic consequences. He never succeeded in selling the TPP to his own party, and Trump immediately repudiated it. American policy towards China today is mostly characterized by capriciousness and an absurd fixation with our trade deficit.
How would the 2020 Democratic nominee change this state of affairs? I see no evidence that any of the upper tier candidates have given serious consideration to China other than as a human rights violator and a source of cheap manufactured goods. The Chinese challenge goes far beyond that. One hopes that we will see a greater degree of sophistication from the candidates as the campaign progresses.