Biden says not seeking conflict with Russia

US President Joe Biden said he was not seeking conflict with Russia or China as he put a renewed focus on his diplomatic in his first address to Congress.

His speech focused on the selling of major investments at home and said that democracy will now be shown at work in its true spirit. “We´re in a competition with countries, especially China, to win the 21st century,” Biden said. He warned: “Autocrats think democracies cannot compete.”

Biden said that in a two-hour first phone conversation, he told President Xi Jinping that we welcome the competition and that we are not seeking for conflict. “I made absolutely clear that we have to defend America´s interests over and across,” he said.

“America will always stand up to unjust trade practices that undermine American workers and industries, like help for state-owned enterprises and the stealing of American technologies and intellectual property,” he said.

“I spoke to President Xi that we will keep a strong military presence in the Indo-Pacific region just as we do with Nato in Europe, to prevent a conflict instead of starting one,” Biden said to applause from a small audience that due to corona restrictions.

Biden warned that China´s very powerful leader had firm plans for the future.

“He´s deadly focused on making China the most consequential and significant nation in the world,” Biden said. 

The speech showed a shift from the hawkish nationalism of Donald Trump, with Biden only speaking of global cooperation.

“There is no wall strong enough to keep the coronavirus out,” Biden said. Similar to his policy on China, Biden said he will never seek worse relations with Russia.

Biden has, In his first three months in office, imposed sanctions over Russia´s purposed poisoning of ailing dissident Alexei Navalny and over the interference in US elections and hacking operations.