MARION, Iowa — Former Vice President Joe Biden talked down the threat of China to the United States and the global order, saying bipartisan concerns about the nation’s rise were “bizarre.”
“I get criticized occasionally for saying I’m not worried about China. They said the same thing about me in the 1990s and said, ‘Biden isn’t worried about Japan,'” Biden, 77, said to a crowd of roughly 200 people at a Monday town hall. “Think of China. I’ve spent more time with China’s Xi Jinping than anybody, or at least double the time.”
“This is a guy who doesn’t have enough water for his people. So, they’re talking about a hundred billion of dollars to turn around rivers to provide access for potable water for the population,” he added.
Biden then listed a number of other issues facing China, including the lack of farmable land because of contamination and poor air quality leading to high cancer rates.
“This is all bad news for the world,” he said. “So, folks, the idea that China is going to eat our lunch, it’s bizarre. It’s bizarre. We can help them with some of their problems. We don’t have to go to war with China. We can compete with China and insist that they follow the rules.”
He added: “I am absolutely confident. I am so tired of Democrats and Republicans, quite frankly. Walking around with their heads down, going, ‘Whoa, what are we going to do? My god, we’re in such tough shape.’ Folks, this is the United States of America.”
