President Joe Biden said on Sunday he does not want to isolate China as he works to shore up ties between the United States and other countries.
The commander in chief made the assertion during a press conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, after participating in a G-20 summit in India that Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend.
“So, really, what this trip was about — it was less about containing China. I don’t want to contain China,” Biden said. “I just want to make sure that we have a relationship with China that is on the up and up, squared away, everybody knows what it’s all about.”
BIDEN: "I don't wanna contain China" pic.twitter.com/S3ddEsiDgr
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 10, 2023
Biden further explained that his itinerary was about “having India cooperate much more with the United States, be closer with the United States, Vietnam being closer with the United States.”
He also insisted that his travel abroad was meant to create “a stable base in the Indo-Pacific” and establish international “rules of the road” on matters related to the ocean, airspace, and space.
“I want to see China succeed economically, but I want to see them succeed by the rules,” Biden added.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, criticized Biden during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“The whole point of him going to the region, in my view, was to get our friends and allies and partners together in the event of an invasion of Taiwan and a greater invasion into the South Pacific Sea,” McCaul said, adding that Biden chose the “wrong message to send” because it was not one of “deterrence.”
Ahead of Biden’s visit to Vietnam, Beijing expressed disapproval of the U.S. approach to dealing with China’s neighbors.
“We believe that when dealing with relations with Asian countries, the #US should abandon the Cold War mentality of a zero-sum game, abide by basic norms of international relations, not target third parties and not undermine regional peace, stability, development and prosperity,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, as reported in a post to X by China’s Global Times.
During his press conference, Biden stressed, “I think we think too much in terms of Cold War terms.”
The president said he spoke about “stability” with Xi’s No. 2 Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the G-20 summit and their conversation “wasn’t confrontational at all.” Biden also said he hopes to meet with Xi “sooner than later.”