President Joe Biden visited the State Department on Thursday (Feb. 4) and delivered his first foreign policy address since taking office, emphasizing the current administration’s focus on cooperation with allies. In his speech, he called China the United States’ “most formidable competitor” and said the United States will respond to China’s aggressive posture on human rights, intellectual property rights and global governance, but is willing to work with Beijing when it is in America’s interest to do so.
In his speech, Biden said China is America’s toughest competitor, posing a direct challenge to U.S. prosperity, security and democratic values. “We will confront China’s economic vices head-on, counter its aggressive and coercive behavior, and top back China’s attacks on human rights, intellectual property and global governance,” Biden said, “but we are prepared to work with Beijing when it is in America’s interest to do so.”
Biden emphasized that to better compete, the United States must first deal with domestic issues and later join forces with its allies to take its place in the international community and rebuild America’s credibility and moral authority.
The main axis of his speech fell on cooperation with allies, “America is back, diplomacy is back,” Biden stressed.
On global issues, Biden said the world is now facing many crises, from the new crown Epidemic, the environmental crisis to nuclear proliferation issues, these challenges require countries to work together to deal with. He called U.S. alliances “our greatest asset” and that the United States will once again stand shoulder-to-shoulder with its partners.
“This must begin with diplomacy and be rooted in America’s most cherished democratic values. Defend freedom. Advancing opportunity. Uphold universal rights. Respect the rule of law. Treating every person with dignity,” Biden said. “Over the past two weeks, I’ve spoken with the leaders of many of our closest allies – Canada, Mexico, Britain, Germany, France, NATO, Japan, South Korea and Australia – to begin to renew the habit of cooperation and rebuild the muscles of the democratic alliance that have atrophied over the past four years through neglect and abuse.”
The State Department was the first federal agency Biden visited. Biden thanked the State Department staff and praised them as “outstanding people. It is believed that Biden’s visit to the State Department before visiting the Pentagon or the FBI was intended to send an important message that his administration will focus on diplomatic tools and diplomats, and that its foreign policy will center on working with allies and repairing the U.S. reputation in the international community “by example.
Top Trump Administration Officials Advise Biden
Meanwhile, two former senior administration officials addressed Biden this week on China Policy.
On the day Biden was sworn in, Beijing announced sanctions against 28 Trump Administration officials, with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo among them.
Pompeo said in an interview with FoxNews.com Thursday that “these sanctions have one purpose, to signal to the Biden Administration that if you’re still going to protect America, protect American territory, protect American jobs, American wealth, you’re going to be punished.”
Pompeo said in the interview that the hard-line policies adopted by former President Trump, particularly on trade and preventing Chinese infiltration within the United States, reversed centuries of consensus on U.S.-China engagement policy. He urged the Biden administration to continue its hard-line policy toward China.
On the other hand, former deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger also gave his first public speech since leaving office on Wednesday (Feb. 3), hoping the Biden administration would not fall into China’s negotiation trap.
Speaking at a forum organized by The Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs at Florida International University on Wednesday, Bomen said China is very good at adopting a delaying policy when negotiating, and that a key U.S. tactic during the Trump administration has been to not allow China to take the negotiations off the table. strategy has been to not allow China to stretch the negotiations out too long.
“For the United States, we want to put pressure on China to address as quickly as possible the things that China is doing that are harmful to our national security, prosperity and democracy,” he said, “so don’t fall into the trap that Beijing has set Time and time again, which is to try to lure the United States into long, formal mid-level negotiations.”
The U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (SED), which preceded the Trump administration for years, has not achieved significant success in addressing trade imbalances.
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