Tough talk on China tends to resonate well with voters.

Unfavorable views of China cut across party lines, with over 90 percent of Americans viewing China’s “power and influence” as a threat to the U.S., according to a recent Pew survey. Yet fewer Democrats hold a negative view of China compared with Republicans — 62 percent to 72 percent, respectively.

That means Biden may find himself having to walk a fine line when talking about China, with many in the Democratic base worried about increasing discrimination against minority groups like Asian Americans, who have seen a rise in hate crimes against their communities since the coronavirus.

“My alarm always goes off when we use – as a punching bag – other countries in a way that enhances nativism and racism,” said Jonathan Tasini, a Democratic strategist who was a surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) presidential campaign in 2016.