Biden on China: In what could be termed as a huge statement, US President Joe Biden said he is "looking for competition and not conflict with China."
His statement holds significance as the relations between the two countries have strained after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's high-profile visit to Taiwan in August this year.
The US President will be visiting Indonesia later in November to attend the G-20 Summit, where he is likely to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, November 9, Biden stated that he is looking forward to talking to Jinping on matters related to national interests and the "red line."
"I have met with him many times. And I have also told him I'm looking for competition, not conflict. So, what I want to do with him when we talk is lay out what kind of each of our red lines are, understand what he believes to be in the critical national interests of China, and what I know to be the critical interests of the United States and to determine whether or not they conflict with one another,” Biden remarked.
What could be discussed between Biden and Jinping?
President also outlined that the Taiwan doctrine has not changed at all from the very beginning. He also hoped that both nations would discuss a wide range of issues including fair trade and his relationship with other countries in the region.
Responding to a question, Biden stated that he does not believe China has a great deal of respect for Russia or its President Vladimir Putin.
“I don't think they look at that as a particular alliance. Matter of fact, they've been sort of keeping their distance a little bit. I do think that it remains to be seen whether Xi Jinping has decided that, or backed off of his initial judgment, that he wanted China to have the most powerful military in the world as well as the largest economy,” Biden remarked.
US-China relations
It is worth mentioning here that Pelosi's visit to Taiwan irked China so much so that it warned the US of "severe consequences." Since 1949, there has been a "mutual distrust" that has complicated the US-China relationship.
Tensions between the two nations have persisted under the Biden administration, which made China one of its focal points in carrying out US foreign policy.
According to reports, the Biden administration's approach to China focuses on a number of issues, including how China treats Hong Kong, its threats against Taiwan, its genocide of the Uyghurs, and its cyberwarfare against the US.
(With inputs from PTI)
