Trump's pick J.D. Vance takes stage protesting US jobs lost in China 'sweetheart deal'
US Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio spoke to his working class roots and took aim at trade deals such as China being accepted to the World Trade Organization in a speech at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night.
He spoke for around 36 minutes, formally introducing himself to America as Donald Trump's running mate at the convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Vance blamed a loss of jobs in Ohio and around the country on Joe Biden's support of the North American Free Trade Agreement and China becoming a member of the WTO in 2001.
"When I was in the fourth grade, a career politician by the name of Joe Biden supported Nafta, a bad trade deal that sent countless good jobs to Mexico," he said.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
"That same career politician named Joe Biden gave China a sweetheart trade deal that destroyed even more good American middle class manufacturing jobs," he continued.
Describing Ohio as a place that had been "forgotten by America's ruling class in Washington," Vance blamed establishment politicians for letting unemployment and drugs take hold there, and beyond.
"Our country was flooded with cheap Chinese goods, with cheap foreign labour and, in the decades to come, deadly Chinese fentanyl," he said.
Washington has frequently accused Beijing of supporting the production of precursor chemicals for fentanyl, though the two countries have improved their counter-narcotics cooperation in recent months.
Vance pledged on Wednesday to spur domestic manufacturing by building more factories.
"We're done sacrificing supply chains to unlimited global trade," he said, adding that it was time to "stop the Chinese Communist Party from building their middle class on the backs of American citizens".
Vance was introduced to the stage by his wife Usha Vance, who also spoke to his working class roots: "It's hard to imagine a more powerful example of the American dream," she said.
The role that American vice-presidents play in setting policy varies by administration and it is not clear what Vance would do in a second Trump administration. The attempted assassination of the former president on Saturday, however, has put into stark relief the importance of the vice-presidential role.
On stage Vance spoke about the former president's bravery. "Even in his most perilous moment we were on his mind," referring to Trump showing a fist pump after he was shot.
Earlier in the week, Vance - a Marine Corps veteran, graduate of Yale Law School and one-time tech industry venture capitalist - told Fox News that China was the "biggest threat" to the US and he urged a rapid end to the Ukraine crisis so Washington could focus on the "real issue" of China.
The 39-year-old is expected to largely see eye to eye with Trump on foreign policy issues, including related to Taiwan and tariffs on mainland China.
Vance has long been critical of China's contribution to the loss of manufacturing jobs across the US, and has supported Trump's plan to impose new tariffs on China.
Trump has previously committed to levying a 60 per cent tariff on Chinese goods. However, he did not repeat this vow during his debate with President Biden and walked back the percentage during an interview with Bloomberg last month. Still, he has not retracted his commitment to impose a 10 per cent tariff on all imports into the US.
If the Republican ticket wins in November, Vance would have the least government experience of anyone a heartbeat away from the presidency in the modern era.
His memoir of growing up in a broken family in the rust belt, Hillbilly Elegy, was a bestseller in 2016 and led to a fast-rising career as a political commentator. He opposed Trump in 2016, for example, though he has since become a strong supporter.
In 2022, Vance defeated the Democratic candidate Tim Ryan for the Ohio Senate seat, and took office in January 2023.
Regarding Taiwan, Vance said last year the US needed to reduce its reliance on Taiwan-made semiconductors yet develop more weapons domestically to assist the island in case of a conflict with Beijing.
Trump has been less clear about coming to Taiwan's aid in a conflict, saying that "Taiwan should pay us for defence" when directly asked by Bloomberg in June.
Beijing regards Taiwan as part of China to be eventually reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. Most nations do not recognise Taiwan, a self-ruled island, as an independent state, including the US, although it is opposed to any forcible change to the status quo and is bound by law to provide arms to Taiwan for its defence.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump with vice-presidential nominee Vance on Tuesday at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a day after Trump tapped Vance as his running mate. Photo: Reuters alt=Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump with vice-presidential nominee Vance on Tuesday at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a day after Trump tapped Vance as his running mate. Photo: Reuters>
A proponent of "America First", Vance told Fox News on Monday that his foreign policy would be "the Trump doctrine", which he summarised as "you don't commit America's troops unless you really have to, but when you do you punch and you punch hard".
As a senator, Vance has voted against increased aid to Ukraine, and has affirmed Trump's claim that he could bring about a quick end to the war if he is elected. Like Trump, Vance has said Nato members need to take a more active role in their own defence.
The Trump critic-turned-ally, however, has been more explicit about the need for the US to pivot to Asia.
The Republican Party platform, formally adopted on Monday on the first day of the convention, includes a commitment to "secure strategic independence from China", in line with Vance's pledges on Wednesday night.
"Republicans will revoke China's most-favoured-nation status, phase out imports of essential goods and stop China from buying American real estate and industries," the document states.
Beijing's preferential trade status currently allows China a baseline of non-discriminatory treatment and lower tariffs for many goods.
Vance pledged to never forget his roots. "I promise you this: I will be a vice-president who never forgets where he came from."
No debate has yet been arranged between Vance and his presumed Democratic opponent, Vice-President Kamala Harris.
Meanwhile, Biden tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday and was experiencing mild symptoms, the White House said in a statement. The 81-year-old Democrat cancelled a campaign event in Las Vegas and would self-isolate in Delaware, the statement said.
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.