Washington: US President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union address on Tuesday that he would cooperate with great power rival China, but vowed to “protect our country”. The Chinese spy balloon that traveled across the US last week,
“I am committed to working with China where we can advance American interests and benefit the world,” Biden said. “But make no mistake about it: As we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to defend our country. And we did.”
Beijing denied that the balloon was a spying device.
Biden was expected to address competition with China, but his speechwriters may have added to that remark after crossing the skies over the United States — before dominating the news cycle — by an American fighter jet on Saturday. shot it down over the Atlantic Ocean.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who sat with other cabinet members in the House of Representatives while Biden spoke, canceled a planned trip to Beijing amid the uproar.
Tune in as I deliver the State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress. https://t.co/StnlNblubB– President Biden (@POTUS) February 8, 2023
Republicans seized on the balloon incident to attack Biden’s decision, based on military advice, not to shoot it down sooner for fear it could harm people on the ground.
Republicans, who took control of the House of Representatives last month, have pursued a harder line in dealing with Beijing, but it remains one of truly bipartisan sentiment in the deeply divided US Congress.
Biden touted legislation passed last year with strong support from both his fellow Democrats and Republicans that boosted the US semiconductor industry, promising more.
Biden said, “I will not apologize for the fact that we are investing in making America stronger. Americans are investing in innovation, in the industries that will define the future, that China is determined to dominate.” intends.”
Asked about Biden’s remarks on Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said: “The Chinese side has always held that China-US relations are not a zero-sum game in which you lose and I win.” , and you rise and I fall.”
Mao said, “China does not fear or be afraid of competition, but we oppose using competition to define the entire Sino-US relationship.”
Democrats have joined Republicans Asking for more information about balloons and the Biden administration’s policy toward the government in Beijing.
The White House has taken a more nuanced approach to downplaying tensions with China, which flared up in August when former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, visited Taiwan.
Pelosi’s visit prompted Beijing to hold military exercises near the Chinese-claimed island. If the new House speaker, Republican Kevin McCarthy, visits Taiwan as expected this year, tensions could flare up again.
Seven weeks after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed lawmakers from the same podium, Biden also condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and cited US support for the government in Kyiv.
Congress has approved more than $100 billion in aid and military assistance for Ukraine and partner countries since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Biden promised to stand with Ukraine, saying, “Together we did what America always does at its best. We led. We united NATO. We built a global alliance.”
Some Republicans – led by those closest to former President Donald Trump – have questioned whether Washington should continue sending so much money to the government in Kyiv.
But most of the party – including its leaders and top members of national security committees in Congress – expect the funding to continue. Biden’s comments about Ukraine were greeted with loud applause and applause by both Republicans and Democrats.