Joe Biden: “Xi Jinping and Putin believe that democracy cannot work in a complex world”

The President of the USA Joe Biden announced Thursday that his goal is to deliver 200 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine before the 100 days of government, after quickly reaching the goal of 100 million doses. “Today I put the second objective, that is to say, on my hundredth day in power, to have applied 200 million doses in the arms of peopleBiden said.

The president made the claims at the first official press conference he has offered since assuming the presidency on January 20. Among the statements he made, the 78-year-old Democrat confirmed he would run for re-election in 2024 and that Kamala Harris could be his vice president again.

He also referred to his Russian and Chinese counterparts – Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin – and assured that they “They think the future is in autocracy and that democracy cannot work in a complex world.” In addition, he stated that China’s goal is to become “the most important, richest and most powerful country in the world”, but assured that he will not allow this to happen during his tenure.

Biden spoke of his country’s “tough” competition with China and assured that Xi “doesn’t have a single democratic bone in his country”, but clarified that he is not looking for a “confrontation” with the Asian country.

“I repeated to him clearly what I told him in person on several occasions, that We are not looking for confrontation, even though we know there will be very strong competition, ”he said.

Biden has pledged to work with his allies in the European Union (EU) and with countries such as India, Japan and Australia “Hold China accountable and follow the rules.” “It is a battle between the usefulness of democracies and autocracies in the 21st century”, he stressed.

In addition, consulted on the missile launch by North KoreaBiden has said he is ready to resort to diplomacy with North Korea, provided there is denuclearization. He also warned Pyongyang of recent missile tests and noted that “There will be an answer if they choose an escalation.”

In terms of vaccination, he added: “I know it’s ambitious, twice our initial objective (…) But no other country in the world has come close, not even close, to what we’re doing, and I think we can do it. “

In addition, during his speech in Washington, in which he answered questions from reporters, President announced that more than 100 million checks for 1,400 USD as part of the latest economic recovery plan: “It’s real money in people’s pockets.”

Biden also said that The May 1 deadline for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan will be difficult to meet. “It will be difficult to meet the May 1 deadline,” he said. But he added: “We will not stay long” in Afghanistan, the site of America’s longest war.

In addition, he highlighted the economic progress with the news that the number of people requesting unemployment assistance has dropped significantly. “There are still too many Americans out of work, too many families suffering, and there is still a lot of work to be done. But I can tell the American people: Help is here and hope is on the way, ”he said.

Biden called on Republicans in the U.S. Congress to help him move his agenda forward, while tackling issues such as gun control, climate change and immigration reform. “All I know is that I was hired to solve problems, not to create divisions,” he said.

Biden responds to criticism of his immigration policy

Among the questions asked by the journalists present at the White House, the question of the immigration, and the idea that the Democrat’s policies might encourage a larger influx of people to the southern border. However, Biden put the problem into perspective: “It happens every year”, he claimed.

“There is a significant increase in the number of people arriving at the border during the winter months – January, February and March -” because migrants “may travel less likely to die on the road due to desert heat”said the Democratic president.

In addition, he reaffirmed that the vast majority of immigrants arriving at the southern border are returned and that some immigrant families are not returned because Mexico refuses to receive them.

On relations with the neighboring country, the Democratic president also said his government was in talks with Mexico. “We are negotiating with the President of Mexico, I think we are going to see a change, all (undocumented migrants) should be able to be sent back, ”he said.

The pandemic in the United States

So far, some 85.5 million people (25.7% of the population) have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, of which 46.4 million (14%) are already completely inoculated, since December 14, 2020 when the first was injected.

The United States is the most affected in the world by the pandemic coronavirus with more than 30 million cases and more than 545,000 deaths from covid-19 disease, according to the independent tally from Johns Hopkins University.

California is now the most affected state with 57,850 deaths, followed by New York (49,717), Texas (47,689), Florida (32,850), Pennsylvania (24,874), New Jersey (24,292) and Illinois (23,408).

White House Biden predicts that in total more than 600,000 people will die in the country from the virus.

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