US President Joe Biden on Thursday stressed that he will not allow China to become the world’s leading power while in power, and affirmed that he will force that country to be “responsible” for its actions.
“The main goal is to become the leading, richest and most powerful country in the world. That will not happen under my mandate,” Biden said at the first press conference of his presidency.
The president assured that he is not looking for a “showdown” with the Asian giant, but is aware that he will continue to “compete” with that country.
He also claimed that he knows Chinese President Xi Jinping well, and that “he doesn’t have a single democratic bone in his body,” but he’s “a very, very smart guy.”
Biden pledged to work with his allies in the European Union (EU) and with countries such as India, Japan and Australia to “hold China accountable and follow the rules”.
“This is a battle between the usefulness of democracies and autocracies in the 21st century,” he stressed.
To do this, the president announced that he will convene a summit in Washington to seek ways to strengthen the democratic system of government against threats such as corruption, disinformation and authoritarianism.
“Soon I will be inviting an alliance of democracies here to talk about the future,” he said.
During his election campaign, Biden promised to plan such a meeting to mark a contrast to former President Donald Trump, who fraternized with populist leaders in Europe and dictators like North Korean Kim Jong-un.