A Year In, Biden's China Policy Looks a Lot Like Trump's

On December 10, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions, including a bar on American investments, on SenseTime, a Chinese artificial intelligence company accused of developing facial-recognition software used to target China's predominantly Muslim Uyghur community. The move, part of a raft of sanctions introduced on Human Rights Day, prompted SenseTime to postpone a planned IPO in Hong Kong. Officially, Treasury added SenseTime to its Chinese Military-Industrial Complex (CMIC) list, created under a different name in November 2020 by then president Trump. In June, President Biden removed some companies from the list, added others, and expanded its scope to include Chinese companies selling surveillance technology. On December 16, eight companies were added to the blacklist, including dronemaker DJI and facial-recognition firm Megvii. The moves show how, despite toned-down rhetoric, Biden has largely maintained Trump's policies toward China.