Washington, March 7 (CNA) United States President Joe Biden touched on security in the Taiwan Strait during his State of the Union address Thursday and also took aim at what he called “China’s unfair economic practices.”
The U.S. is “standing up for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Biden said at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
It was the first time that security in the Taiwan Strait had been mentioned in a Biden State of the Union address, his third since taking office in 2021.
“For years, all I’ve heard from my Republican friends and so many others is China’s on the rise and America is falling behind.”
They’ve got it backward, Biden said, declaring that “America is rising” and has the “best economy in the world” while also “standing up against China’s unfair economic practices” during his presidency.
Biden reiterated that he has revitalized the country’s partnerships and alliances in the Pacific and made sure that “the most advanced American technologies can’t be used in China’s weapons.”
In his annual speech, he also took aim at Republican rival Donald Trump.
“Frankly for all his tough talk on China, it never occurred to my predecessor to do that,” Biden said, indicating that he wants “competition with China, not conflict.”
“We’re in a stronger position to win the competition for the 21st century against China or anyone else for that matter,” he said.
