Revitalizing Our Ties with India, Standing Up to China’s Unfair Practices: Biden

US President Joe Biden during his State of the Union address said his country is standing up against China’s unfair economic practices while revitalising its partnership with allies like India. Biden said the US is standing up for maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as well.

Biden reiterated that the US wants competition with China, but not conflict. He told Americans that the nation is in a stronger position to win the competition for the 21st century against Beijing.

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

“For years, all I’ve heard from my Republican friends and so many others is that China’s on the rise and America is falling behind. They’ve got it backwards. America is rising,” he said. The US has the best economy in the world, Biden said in his third State of the Union Address to the Congress which was watched by millions of Americans Thursday night.

“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 in his speech.

Biden in his SOTU address also attacked Donald Trump and said that both democracy and freedom are under threat. He also maintained his composure and avoided making mistakes as Republicans and detractors keep focusing on his age.

He also accused Trump, without naming him even once, of bowing to Russian President Vladimir Putin and said the US should not walk away from Ukraine. He also urged Israel to not use aid as a bargaining chip in Gaza negotiation talks.

(with inputs from PTI)