State Department Reverses Biden-era Directive That Soft-Pedaled China Messaging

The State Department quietly overhauled a Biden-era fact sheet containing language on China that partly reflected the previous administration’s fear of inflaming anti-Asian racism. The change reflected a deliberate rejection of former Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s view that Washington’s policies toward and messaging about the Chinese Communist Party were linked to anti-Asian hatred, two department officials told National Review.

Last Thursday, the department issued an updated fact sheet that summarizes Washington’s relationship with Beijing. One of the changes is that the webpage now refers to the U.S. relationship with “China” instead of with the “People’s Republic of China (PRC).” The updated website also refers to the “Chinese Communist Party,” a phrase that the Biden-era version did not use.

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Jimmy Quinn

Jimmy Quinn is the former national security correspondent for National Review.

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The State Department quietly overhauled a Biden-era fact sheet containing language on China that partly reflected the previous administration’s fear of inflaming anti-Asian racism. The change reflected a deliberate rejection of former Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s view that Washington’s policies toward and messaging about the Chinese Communist Party were linked to anti-Asian hatred, two department officials told National Review.

Last Thursday, the department issued an updated fact sheet that summarizes Washington’s relationship with Beijing. One of the changes is that the webpage now refers to the U.S. relationship with “China” instead of with the “People’s Republic of China (PRC).” The updated website also refers to the “Chinese Communist Party,” a phrase that the Biden-era version did not use.