What are the policies and challenges of the new Biden administration?

Mr. Joe Biden of the Democratic Party who becomes the 46th president of the United States.

Faced with many difficult problems such as the spread of the new coronavirus and the division of American society, there is a great deal of interest in what the future holds.

We have summarized the features, policies and issues of the new Biden administration.

Faces with an emphasis on diversity

Mr. Biden emphasized that the new administration's ministerial affairs "will reflect American society," and its lineup emphasizes diversity.

For the first time as a woman, Harris has been appointed as Vice President and Yellen has been appointed as Treasury Secretary. Of the 24 ministerial-level posts, 12 are appointed, half of which.

According to the election information site FiveThirtyEight, if all 12 were approved by Congress, the number of women in ministerial-level posts would exceed the eight during the Clinton and Obama administrations. It means that it will be the most in successive administrations.

Biden has also nominated Austin as Secretary of Defense for the first time as a black man and Harland as Secretary of the Interior for the first time as a Native American minister.

In addition, he appointed Buttigiegge as Secretary of Transportation as the first minister to publish homosexuality, emphasizing that Biden is the most diverse administration of all time.

Biden also attaches great importance to his political experience in Washington.

Former Deputy Secretary of State Blinken has been appointed Secretary of State, former CIA Deputy Secretary Haynes as Director of National Intelligence, and Billsack, who held the same post in the Obama administration, as Secretary of Agriculture.

Former White House Chief of Staff Sullivan has been appointed as the White House Chief of Staff, and former Secretary of State Kerry has been appointed as the new White House Chief of Staff in charge of climate change issues.

President Trump has appointed Mr. Tillerson, who had no diplomatic experience at the time of the inauguration of the administration, as Secretary of State, and Mr. Mnuchin from Goldman Sachs, a major financial institution, as Secretary of the Treasury. This is in contrast to the aggressive promotion of non-existent people.

On the other hand, many of the ministers and senior officials of the new administration have experience in important positions during the Obama administration, and Mr. Biden himself was also the vice president, so it is "the third term of the Obama administration" because it lacks uniqueness. There is also a screaming voice.

Policies and challenges of the new Biden administration

[Diplomatic and Security]

Mr. Biden will play a leading role in the international community again, advocating a shift from President Trump's American-first attitude to a policy that emphasizes international cooperation and alliances in foreign and security policies. And.

▼ Climate change

Mr. Biden regards climate change as a security threat, positions the response as a priority issue of the new administration, and returns to the international framework "Paris Agreement" of global warming that left under the Trump administration. The policy is to strengthen our efforts.

▼ China

's response to China to expand its influence is also the most important issue, and it will strictly respond to human rights issues related to Hong Kong and Uighur, and in the fields of military and security such as ocean, cyber and space, Japan and other allies It shows its willingness to strengthen cooperation with friendly countries.

On the other hand, it also suggests the idea of ​​seeking cooperation with China on global issues such as climate change.

Many of the high-ranking officials responsible for diplomacy and security under the new administration are experts who have held important positions under the Obama administration, and whether they will make a difference from the Obama administration, which emphasizes relations with China, and cooperate while countering China. Whether it can be drawn out will be a major focus of the Obama administration's policy toward China.

▼ The Iran

-Iran policy has indicated that it will return to a nuclear agreement that was unilaterally withdrawn under the Trump administration.

Mr. Biden has criticized the Trump administration's response to withdrawing the agreement and tightening sanctions, turning Iran back on the road to nuclear and missile development and exacerbating the situation.

However, while Mr. Biden cites Iran's compliance with the agreement as a condition for the return, Iran announced this month that it started producing uranium with a concentration of 20% contrary to the agreement, making it easy for the United States to return. There is also a view that it is not.

▼ In North

Korea's policy toward

North

Korea, Mr. Biden severely criticized President Trump's top diplomacy through the U.S.-North Korea summit, pointing out that during this time North Korea enhanced the ability of ICBM = intercontinental ballistic missiles to reach the United States. ..

Mr. Biden called Kim a "villain" and reiterated efforts to denuclearize North Korea under the State Department and the White House security team without having to negotiate directly with the new administration. It seems to be a policy to build.

Mr. Blinken, who was appointed Secretary of State of the new administration, will strengthen cooperation with allies such as Japan to put North Korea on the table of denuclearization negotiations, and will surely implement sanctions on China, which is the backing of North Korea. The focus is on how to negotiate, showing the idea of ​​strongly demanding.

[Economy and Trade] The

first challenge that Mr. Biden faces is the recovery of the US economy, which was damaged by the new coronavirus.

Last year, the employment environment gradually recovered with the resumption of economic activity around the summer, but due to the re-expansion of the new coronavirus infection in the winter, employment statistics for non-agricultural fields are shown last month. The number of contractors started to decrease for the first time in 8 months.

There are still more than 10 million unemployed, especially young people and women working in the service industry, as well as blacks and Hispanics.

On the other hand, stock prices have risen to record highs, and there are concerns about divergence from the real economy and widening disparities.

Mr. Biden wants to deal with such a situation and immediately realize the additional economic measures of 200 trillion yen announced earlier after taking office.

The new Biden administration will tackle the difficult theme of improving people's lives while thoroughly implementing infection control measures.

▼ Environmental Policy

Mr. Biden's pillar for improving the severe employment situation is the promotion of climate change measures.

During the four-year term, it plans to make a huge investment of 2 trillion dollars and 200 trillion yen in Japanese yen to create new jobs for measures to popularize electric vehicles and renewable energy.

However, there are voices from the oil, natural gas, and automobile industries that are wary of radical policies, and the issue is whether to implement the policies with the understanding of the people.

▼ Trade Policy

Regarding trade policy, Mr. Biden has indicated that he will cooperate with democratic countries such as Japan and European countries with China in mind, and will emphasize measures that will lead to the protection of employment.

Under the Trump administration, which advocated the United States first principle, high tariffs were added to steel products and other imported products from overseas, as well as giving preferential treatment to domestic products to create jobs, and the manufacturing industry was hollowed out. We reviewed the NAFTA = North American Free Trade Agreement, saying that it was connected.

In addition, the EU-European Union has signed a Japan-US trade agreement with Japan to raise tariffs on specialty wines and cheeses and to open the market for beef and other products on the issue of industrial subsidies.

In particular, in China, tariffs of up to 25% have been repeatedly imposed, the conflict has escalated to the point of being called a trade war, and tightening on Chinese companies related to telecommunications and semiconductors such as Huawei has been strengthened. The hard posture has been clarified.

"We will not take punitive measures," Biden said in response to these hard-line tariff increases.

However, Democrats have traditionally tended to be more protectionist than Republicans, and Biden also said that the up to 25% sanctions tariffs on China "will not move immediately."

In addition, Mr. Biden has also pledged to introduce a "made-in-American tax system" that imposes an additional tax on products produced overseas in light of the reflection of the Obama administration, which was criticized for neglecting employment. I am.

For this reason, attention will be paid to the extent to which protectionist policies such as the Trump administration's drastic increase in tariffs on imported goods and trade agreements that prioritize its own country will be reviewed.

[Internal affairs]

Mr. Biden will face various internal affairs issues such as measures against the new coronavirus, recovery of the economy deteriorated by the spread of infection, and resolution of racial problems.

Mr. Biden has a policy of focusing on measures against the new coronavirus as a top priority.

▼ On the first day of the administration, the president will make it mandatory to wear masks at government-controlled facilities. In addition to signing a document for this purpose

, the policy is to accelerate the production of vaccines by utilizing the "Defense Production Act," which seeks the cooperation of private companies, so that 100 million doses can be inoculated within 100 days after taking office.

Another major issue is the division of American society.

Mr. Biden has repeatedly emphasized that he will call for reconciliation with the people and eliminate the division of American society, such as saying in the post-election victory declaration that he will become a president who aims for unity, not division.

However, the division of society is becoming more serious, with only 19% of Republican supporters considering Mr. Biden as a "legitimate winner of the election" in a poll conducted following the invasion of Congress. ..

Furthermore, even in Congress, the gap between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party is wide, and although the Democratic Party has taken the initiative in both the House of Representatives and the House of Representatives, Mr. Biden cooperates in Congress on climate change measures and medical insurance system reforms Is not easy to get.

Another issue is unity within the Democratic Party of Japan.

The leftist party, called "progressive," who has an influence centered on young people, has increased his voice within the party because he contributed significantly to Mr. Biden's victory in the presidential election, but increased social security spending and It has also been pointed out that there is a difference in position from the middle-ranking lawmakers, such as appealing to curb military spending.

Line conflicts within the Democratic Party may surface in environmental policies and trade policies in the future.

There are many challenges for Mr. Biden's goal of "reconciliation," and Mr. Biden is likely to be forced to steer difficult immediately after the inauguration of the administration.