While a prolific researcher and writer on the topic of the human genome, Dr. Lander did not appear to have any published opinions directly on China or the U.S.-China relationship prior to his official confirmation on May 28, 2021.

• On December 14, 2021, Lander gave remarks at The American Geophysical Union Fall 2021 Meeting in Louisiana, in which he named China a competitor in the ‘clean energy revolution’ and emphasized the need for urgency on the climate crisis.

I know there are still some — including in the U.S. Congress — who are not convinced of the urgency of addressing the climate crisis. To them, I say: Let’s agree we want the clean energy revolution to happen here — so that we reap the economic benefits and don’t end up buying the energy technologies of the future from our competitors — like China — who we know are investing heavily. Let’s work together to accelerate this progress.

• On December 8, 2021, in conjunction with the Summit for Democracy, Lander and his office announced the launch of of the International Grand Challenges on Democracy-Affirming Technology.
• On October 12, 2021, speaking at the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual Science and Technology Policy Forum, Lander directly linked the thoughts behind his and Deputy Director Nelson’s October 8 WIRED publication to international competition, highlighting the importance of factoring China’s large population into the equation:

If we are not fielding the whole team — if half the team or a third of the team, only a fifth of the team is on the field — there is no way we can compete.

• On October 8, 2021, Eric Lander co-wrote a piece with OSTP Deputy Director Alondra Nelson, released on WIRED: “Americans Need a Bill of Rights for an AI-Powered World.” While this piece does not directly refer to China, or any other country, it was released as China is being recognized as superior to the U.S. in AI technology and reports say that China is ‘pouring everything into the race for AI supremacy.’
• On August 10, 2021, Eric Lander released an OSTP blog post  titled “Clear Rules for Research Security and Researcher Responsibility” in which he mentions the Chinese government as an illegal influencer in the field of U.S. research and technology.

It has become clear, though, that some foreign governments, including the Chinese government, are working vigorously to illicitly acquire, and in some cases outright steal, U.S. research and technology. There have been efforts to induce American scientists to secretively conduct research programs on behalf of foreign governments or to inappropriately disclose non-public results from research funded by U.S. government sources. Such threats are real, serious, and completely unacceptable.

We thus have to guard against abuses and protect intellectual property rights — without undermining the openness that is central to both scientific discovery and our national character.

In the same post, Lander finished by stating the importance of creating policies that do not fuel xenophobia.

We have to assiduously avoid basing policies or processes on prejudice—including those that could fuel anti-Asian sentiments or xenophobia…

In designing policies, we should also avoid actions that are pointless or performative, such as requiring scientists to return honorary degrees from Chinese universities. And, it should never be acceptable to target scientists for investigation based on their race or ethnicity. In protecting our nation, we must uphold its fundamental values.

• On July 13, 2021, at the Global Emerging Technology Summit of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence held in Washington, DC, Lander was a panelist speaker on the topic of “The Quad and Emerging Technologies: The Imperative for International Cooperation.” He said that the Quad play a central role in emerging technologies and stressed cooperation is possible, if not necessary. 
• “A Letter from Eric Lander upon starting as Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy,” White House OSTP, June 2, 2021

But today, America’s future depends on science and technology like never before. We have amazing opportunities ahead, but also face unprecedented challenges—from pandemics, to the climate crisis, to international competition in the technologies of the future.

• On his first day in office, June 2, 2021, Lander held an interview with Nature magazine that included a question about China: “Scientists say that measures the US government has taken against research espionage have damaged scientific partnerships, especially with China. How will you address this?” Lander gave the following response:

It’s not acceptable if countries engage in industrial espionage to take intellectual property. I think we all agree on that. The question is, how do you manage that in a way that is effective — addresses the problem, but doesn’t create huge burdens, doesn’t create a sense of turning away international collaboration, and doesn’t promote racism and anti-Asian feelings?

We have to balance two things: we have to get research security right, and we have to make sure we really take advantage of the full power of international scientific collaboration and the fact that so many great people want to come to the United States [to work and study]. We can get those things right with clear guidance about disclosure of information. And that’s certainly going to be a role for this office — to look after both sides of that equation.

• “Eric S. Lander Confirmation Hearing Opening Remarks,” Senate Commerce Committee, April 29, 2021