First Address To The US Congress, President Joe Biden Highlights China

President of the United States Joe Biden. (Wikimedia Commons / David Linenemann)

JAKARTA - United States President Joe Biden took aim at China in his first speech to Congress on Wednesday, April 28 local time, pledging to maintain a strong US military presence in the Indo-Pacific, as well as boost technological and trade developments.

"China and other countries are getting closer. We have to develop and dominate the products and technology of the future", said Biden, cited from Reuters.

"There is no reason why wind turbine blades cannot be built in Pittsburgh, not in Beijing", he continued to applause from the senators present.

President Biden has repeatedly identified competition with China as the biggest foreign policy challenge facing Uncle Sam's country. He and his fellow Democrats and opposition Republicans have all moved toward a tougher line in dealing with Beijing.

"America will fight against unfair trade practices that undermine American workers and American industry, such as subsidies to state-owned companies and theft of American technology and intellectual property", stressed President Joe Biden.

On that occasion, President Biden revealed, in talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he said the United States would maintain a strong military presence in the Indo-Pacific, as was done for NATO in Europe. The goal is to prevent conflict, not the other way around.

President Biden also urged lawmakers to pass a package of bipartisan legislation now being discussed by the Senate, which would put pressure on Beijing on human rights, tackle trade imbalances and increase funding for the development of new US technologies to compete more effectively with China.

"America will not back down from our commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms and our alliances", he said.

Biden also discussed competition with another geopolitical rival, Russia. He said he had made it clear to President Vladimir Putin that Moscow's interference in US elections and cyber attacks on government and business would have consequences, but Washington was not asking for an escalation.

And, deviating from former Republican President Donald Trump's 'go-it-alone' foreign policy, President Joe Biden said he would work closely with allies to counter the threat posed by Iran's and North Korea's nuclear programs.