BEIJING (AP) — China says it was ripped off in U.S. President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address that repeatedly mentioned competition between the two countries.
China is not afraid of competing with the US but is “opposed to defining the entire China-US relationship in terms of competition,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said at a daily briefing on Wednesday.
“You do not practice the responsibility of the state to smear the state or limit the legitimate development rights of the state on the grounds of competition, even at the expense of disrupting the global industry and supply chain,” Mao said.
China will defend its interests and the US should work together to “promote the return of bilateral relations to a sound and stable development track,” he said. Mao’s comments came against a backdrop of disputes over trade, Taiwan, human rights and access to advanced technology.
Biden mentioned China and its leader, Xi Jinping, at least seven times in his speech on Tuesday night, focusing mainly on how the US is getting ready to compete with Beijing while also avoiding conflict.
“I’ve been clear with President Xi that we’re looking for competition, not conflict,” Biden said.
“I don’t apologize that we are investing to make America strong. Invest in American innovation, in industries that will define the future, and the Chinese government aims to dominate,” he said.
Biden said his administration is “committed to working with China to advance American interests and benefit the world.”
However, he also warned that “if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country,” a reference to Saturday’s shooting down of an alleged Chinese spy balloon over the continental United States.
China said the balloons were unmanned civilian airships used for meteorological research and strongly protested the US actions while threatening unspecified action.
The incident prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a trip to China this week that has dashed hopes of reversing the deteriorating relationship between Beijing and Washington.