US revitalised partnership with allies, nations like India amidst China’s rise: Biden

Washington, March 8

The US has revitalised its partnership with its allies and countries like India, Australia and Japan, amidst the rise of China, President Joe Biden has said, as he accused Beijing of indulging in unfair economic practices and endangering peace across the Taiwan Strait.

Biden, 81, in his final State of the Union Address before a joint session of the US Congress on Thursday, said the US wants competition with China, but not conflict.

Biden, seeking re-election in November, said America is in a stronger position to win the competition for the 21st century against China.

“We are standing up against China’s unfair economic practice, standing up for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. We revitalised our partnership with allies and the Pacific, India, Australia, Japan, South and South Korea,” Biden, a Democrat, said.

China considers Taiwan as its breakaway province and insists it should be unified with the mainland, by force if necessary. Taiwan, however, sees itself as completely distinct from China.

China has been ramping up its military offensive against the self-ruled island of more than 23 million people, triggering global concerns including from the US.

He said he several times found his Republican fellow members saying that China is on the rise and America is falling behind.

“They’ve got it backwards. America is rising,” Biden said.

Biden’s China comments came a day after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi escalated Beijing’s verbal attacks on the United States.

On the sidelines of an annual meeting of China’s Parliament, Wang accused the United States of trying to contain China through sanctions and insisted that Washington has “wrong perceptions” about Beijing.

“The means to suppress China are constantly updated, the list of unilateral sanctions is constantly extended, and the desire to inflict punishment on China has reached an unimaginable level,” said Wang during an interaction with local and foreign media in Beijing.

The US has imposed sanctions against China on a range of issues, from human rights abuses to its growing military relations with Russia.

China is expected to get more public attention as the US presidential election campaign intensifies in the coming weeks.

In his address, Biden claimed that the US has the best economy in the world.

“Since I’ve come to office, our GDP is up. And our trade deficit with China is down to the lowest point in over a decade,” he said.

“I’ve made sure that the most advanced American technologies can’t be used in China’s weapons. Frankly, for all his tough talk on China, it never occurred to my predecessor to do that,” Biden said.

“And we’re in a stronger position to win the competition for the 21st century against China or anyone else for that matter,” said the president.

Following Super Tuesday contests, decks have become clear for a rematch between Biden and Trump in the November 5 presidential elections.