Not us versus them: Biden softens China competition ally pitch

var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_63963785", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1104396"} }); ","_id":"00000183-6b18-d13a-a9ff-fb3c7bb40000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video Embed
BIDEN CONDEMNS PUTIN’S ‘NEEDLESS’ WAR AND REASSURES CHINA HE DOES NOT SEEK ONE

Biden used his U.N. General Assembly address this week to reassure world leaders he does not want another Cold War, this time with the People’s Republic of China, promising to be “reasonable” in his “competition” with Beijing amid new “geopolitical trends.”

“We do not ask any nation to choose between the United States or any other partner,” he said. “But the United States will be unabashed in promoting our vision of a free, open, secure, and prosperous world and what we have to offer communities of nations: investments that are designed not to foster dependency but to alleviate burdens and help nations become self-sufficient; partnerships not to create political obligation but because we know our own success — each of our success is increased when other nations succeed as well.”

But Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, who delivered remarks Friday, criticized leaders and news outlets that scrutinized his government for formalizing relations with Chinese President Xi Jinping, accepting financial assistance, and signing a security agreement, which could result in a Chinese Communist Party naval base on the archipelago.

“The right to establish diplomatic relations between sovereign nations is a universal principle shared by all members of the United Nations,” he said. “Solomon Islands will not be coerced into choosing sides.”

Marti Flacks, a White House National Security Council aide to former President Barack Obama, noted Biden’s choice language, but the director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies’s Human Rights Initiative wondered whether his words would turn into action.

“Biden’s reference to not asking any country to choose between the U.S. and any other power was important, as many countries, especially in Africa, have felt over the last few years that they are being pressured to choose between the U.S. and China and have no interest in doing so,” she told the Washington Examiner.

Amanda Rothschild, a former National Security Council staffer under President Donald Trump, conceded that Biden acknowledging the China threat was “an improvement” compared to the issue’s absence in his 2021 address. But, she contended, the reality is that “there is indeed a choice to be made.”

“It is a choice that must be made not only by our partners in the Indo-Pacific region, but also around the world in Europe, Africa, and Latin America,” the Vandenberg Coalition senior policy director said. “It is a choice between being a true partner based on mutual benefit and security and prosperity for the peoples of both nations or serving as a subordinate satellite to Beijing.”

Although Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s Ukraine war dominated the 77th session of the General Assembly, Biden’s sideline meetings, and those of Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, underlined China’s significance to the president’s foreign policy.

Simultaneously, China has been tireless in introducing its people and implementing its perspective at the U.N., despite substantial U.S. funding, according to Foundation for Defense of Democracies China Program Deputy Director Craig Singleton.

“Chinese nationals currently lead two of the U.N.’s 15 specialized agencies, whereas no other nation leads more than one,” he briefed the press. “China’s bigger goal is to insert Xi’s vision, what he often refers to as a ‘shared future,’ into U.N. policy documents and, in doing so, he can shape U.N. operations and budgets to reflect Beijing’s priorities.”

Biden met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was overheard at the 7th Replenishment Conference for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria disparaging Congress while he was in New York.

Biden also sat down with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. While a read-out of their agenda alluded to the Philippines’ past human rights abuses, it was clear regarding Biden’s “ironclad commitment to the defense of the Philippines.”

“The leaders discussed the situation in the South China Sea and underscored their support for freedom of navigation and overflight and the peaceful resolution of disputes,” the White House said. “The role of the U.S. in maintaining the peace in our region is something that is much appreciated by all the countries of the region, the Philippines especially,” Marcos told reporters beforehand.

Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday to keep “open lines of communication and manage competition responsibly,” per the State Department, echoing Biden’s address.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Blinken’s meeting with Wang came after a discussion with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and before a conversation with Yoshimasa and the top diplomats from the other two Quadrilateral Security Dialogue countries: Australia and India.