Biden vows to curb China's rise in first presser as president

US President Joe Biden created a stir recently when he said his approach toward Beijing would be different from his predecessor. The approach seems to be that of harrying and brinkmanship.

At his first news conference Thursday since taking office, Biden vowed to prevent China from overtaking the US to become the world’s most powerful country, a statement reeking of paranoia.

“I see stiff competition with China,” Biden said. “They have an overall goal to become the leading country in the world, the wealthiest country in the world and the most powerful country in the world. That’s not going to happen on my watch, because United States is going to continue to grow and expand.”

Biden's statements pointed to growing rivalry between the two main protagonists of global economy.  

In this new crusade, the Biden administration is banking on the support of the Europeans to counter the staggering rise of China, which both sides see as a threat to their unchallenged domination.

Addressing a video summit of the European Union representatives on Thursday, Biden sought to reset Washington’s ties with the alliance, which were impaired during Donald Trump’s tenure.

A day before, his top diplomat also launched a tirade against China, implicitly calling on EU allies to choose between “us or them”, a slogan made famous by former US President George Bush after the cataclysmic 9/11 event.

Addressing NATO allies in Brussels, Secretary of State Antony Blinken made clear that the US views China as an economic and security threat.

“There’s no question that Beijing’s coercive behavior threatens our collective security and prosperity and that it is actively working to undercut the rules of the international system and the values we and our allies share,” he said.

It followed a vitriolic exchange between Blinken and senior Chinese officials in Alaska, with both sides displaying deep grievances and using aggressive gestures in front of media.

Blinken, while seeking to repair ties with EU allies, also sought to shore up support against China.

The two sides earlier this week announced synchronized sanctions on Beijing over the alleged crackdown on Uighurs in northwestern China’s Xinjiang province.  

It was a symbolic show of unity by the US and its European allies, aimed at isolating Beijing.

In a statement, China accused the EU of "disregarding and distorting the facts" and "grossly interfering in China's internal affairs" by imposing sanctions against its officials.

With the US and its European allies mobilizing, China has joined hands with Russia to counter their aggression.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, and both sides reached “a strategic consensus”, according to a statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry.

Pertinently, Washington-Moscow relations have also hit a new low, after Biden in a television interview called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “a killer. He also said Putin will “pay a price” for his actions.

Putin, in his characteristic manner, hit back at Biden, recalling the US history of genocide of its indigenous people, the cruel experience of slavery, the continuing repression of Black Americans and the unprovoked US nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the Second World War.

He also wished his counterpart “good health”, which prompted many reactions on social media.

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