Trump Photo:AFP

The ongoing Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) features seven panels with China as key themes. The titles range from "China subverts America" to "Corporate America Surrendering to China." Meanwhile, Russia is only mentioned once. 

Former president Donald Trump is scheduled to present a speech to the CPAC on Sunday. Yet tellingly former vice president Mike Pence is reportedly absent from the event. This reflects that this year's CPAC is not a pure event for conservatives - it is a gathering of Trumpists. Therefore, Trump's previous approaches as a president have dominated the agenda. And this is why China-centered panels are prominently featured. 

From the perspective of US foreign relations, China-US interactions are higher on the agenda than US-Russia matters. Hence, by focusing on Beijing rather than Moscow, this CAPC round seems to be aiming to put more pressure on the Biden administration. It wants to demonstrate that conservatives are eying how the Biden team handles China. 

Since President Biden took office, his administration's remarks over China have not been as caustic as Trump's. But this only reflects Biden and his cabinet's perception of China. It does not represent the stance of the US Congress. Actually, it is not just Biden or his team that can make the call regarding China policies. Some elites in US Congress and certain interest groups, who hold many negative impressions about of China, also affect policymaking. 

Both Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress have developed a more hostile consensus about China. This being the case, the CPAC has directed a bull's-eye target on China out of political intent. Conservatives are attempting to create a scenario in which anyone who appears to be "soft" on China will be lambasted as not being a patriot. 

Infected by the Trump administration's spin over the past four years, American society has generally formed a consensus toward China. By continuing to hype up China-centered themes, Republicans want to force the Biden administration to refrain from rapprochement with its China policies. At the same time, the GOP wants to strike a blow to Democrats and kidnap them morally and politically with anti-China narratives. 

Indiana Representative Jim Banks, the chair of the ultra-conservative Republican Study Committee, commented that, "If Republicans are going to win the White House in 2024 and win back the majority in 2022, we need to preserve a tough-on-China message, make that a key part of our platform and expose [Democrats] for being a pro-China party."

Before the CPAC 2021 kicked off, anti-China Republican senators including Tom Cotton, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz introduced the so-called Visa Security Act to end 10-year multi-entry visas given to Chinese citizens. They expanded the "China threat" theory to areas of tourism and business visas. This continued the Republicans' attempt to include all China-related issues into the sphere of security. Such a move is also in line with the GOP's current maneuvers. 

However, remarks like Banks' are actually narrow-minded. Currently, American voters' biggest concerns are focused on COVID-19 controls, economic recovery, and domestic issues: these include deep-rooted racism, migration, healthcare, and tax reform. Being hostile toward China is far from their interests. They want Biden to focus on the home front. 

The reason Trump insisted on being tough against China was to motivate his voters by achieving "America First," which many argued failed due to his administration's pandemic response failures. This helps explain why his campaign didn't work out as he wishfully thought by attacking China. 

After leaving office, though, it appears Trump's influence will gradually decline. Even those voters who see Trump as their idol will have to face reality again. Their life will depend on the current executive branch of government for the next four years. Before long, the entire focus of US society will be on the Biden administration, and actions of the Democratic Party.   

It is precisely because of this that some Republicans want to constantly utilize anti-China issues to maintain their positions under the spotlight and seek political resources for their future careers. And Trump needs an occasion like the CPAC gathering to make his voice heard again after being cut off from social media. He wants again to make sure his supporters are always on his side. But if a retired official keeps trying to influence the government, many voters will choose to stand aloof from him eventually.

The author is a research fellow at the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn