Ahead of a virtual meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill will help the United States compete with China.
The bipartisan legislation will fund everything from new and repaved bridges and roads to water systems, expanded broadband access, and investments in renewable energy.
“This infrastructure bill is essential and important for many reasons,” Psaki said during a Monday press briefing. “One of which is, for the first time in 20 years, we will be investing more in infrastructure than China.”
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China has turned international heads with its big spending on the built environment in recent years, not only within its borders but across the world. The Asian power has invested in nearly 70 countries since 2013 through its Belt and Road initiative. The U.S. is now planning to up its own spending on infrastructure projects around the globe as part of a wider G-7 program, in addition to boosted domestic investment.
Psaki said the Biden administration has made a lot of progress in its approach to China since taking office 10 months ago.
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“The president and the national security team feel that the president is coming into this meeting [with Xi] from a position of strength,” Psaki said. “If you look at where we were nine or 10 months ago, if you look at how we outline our approach to China — many months ago, we talked about the importance of rebuilding our alliances, our relationships, coordinating with Europeans and other key partners in the world. We have made enormous strides in building those relationships.”
