Joe Biden says it is 'competition' not 'conflict' with China at COP26 closing conference

During his concluding press conference at the COP26 Summit, US President Joe Biden slammed Beijing, stating that he is not concerned about the likelihood of armed conflict with China, and that he has made it clear to Chinese President Xi Jinping that this is a 'competition' rather than a US-China conflict. He added that he will hold a virtual summit with the Chinese President soon. Biden also stated that the United States would not shift its position on a number of issues, including international sea routes. The second day of the high-stakes United Nations global climate meeting in Glasgow was dominated by vows to reduce methane emissions and end deforestation. President Biden delivered his final remarks to the media before concluding a tour in which he aimed to reconnect the United States with the rest of the world on climate change.

"Am I worried about an armed conflict or something happening accidentally with China? No, I’m not. But as I have said before, and I think we have talked about this. I look at China, and I have spent hours of conversations with Xi, both in person when I was Vice President and since I have been President, at least five or six hours where the conversations on the telephone and I am going to be having a virtual Summit. With him. I have made it clear. This is competition. It does not have to be conflict. I have also indicated to him. I am not reluctant to say publicly that we expect him to play by the rules of the road," Joe Biden stated in his concluding remarks.

He further added that US is not going to change the attitude towards constitution, national airspace, international sea lanes, and so on. He also made it clear at the closing conference that US need to work on matters including cybersecurity and a variety of other concerns. He remarked, “I am not looking for, I don’t anticipate there will be a need for physical conflict, but you know, as you have heard me say this before, my dad had an expression, ‘The only conflict worse than one that’s intended, is one that’s unintended.'"

Xi Jinping's absence from G20 & COP26 a 'big mistake': Biden

Biden expressed dissatisfaction with China's climate initiatives in Rome, as well as a lack of willingness on the part of Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend either the G20 or COP26 summits. He said, it was a "big mistake" for China's President Xi Jinping not to attend COP26. The rest of the world will look at China and wonder what value-added they are delivering, and they will have lost influence over people all around the world, including all of us here at COP26, according to Biden. Neither Xi Jinping nor Russian President Vladimir Putin attended this week's G20 or COP26 gatherings. The ongoing COVID pandemic is cited as the cause for Xi and Putin's absences from the summits. Cases are on the rise in Russia, and Xi hasn't left the country in 21 months as the virus spreads over the world.

Image: AP