Biden appears to be in tune with his allies on China

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Price said it was “no coincidence” that President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s first interactions took place with partners in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region, noting that “we are seeing our alliances, our global partnerships as still a wide range of challenges, and this includes in our relationship with Beijing. “

Relations between Washington and Beijing during the previous Trump administration were often difficult, with clashes over issues related to trade, technology, regional security and human rights.

Price described the United States’ current relationship with Beijing as being viewed “through the lens of competition and positioning ourselves to compete and ultimately outperform the Chinese.”

“We know that China is engaged in a series of behaviors that hurt American workers. It dulls our technological lead. It threatens our alliances and influences international organizations,” Price said at a State Department briefing on Tuesday. .

“And China has engaged in gross human rights violations which shock conscience. We will therefore counter China’s aggressive and coercive actions, maintain our main military advantages, defend democratic values, invest in advanced technologies and restore vital security partnerships, ”he said.

However, he noted that there are issues like climate change “in which we share a national interest, in which it is in our national interest to cooperate on a limited basis with China.”

“I think it goes without saying that we can walk and chew gum at the same time, so we’re not too familiar,” Price said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi previously suggested that Beijing would be ready to resume relations with the United States after the November elections, saying the two countries are at a “critical historic turning point” after a year of growing tensions .

The Taiwan question

The State Department spokesman also called on China “to cease military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with the democratically elected leaders of Taiwan.”

These three Pacific military flashpoints could shape Biden's strategy in China
Beijing has stepped up military activities around Taiwan since Biden took office, repeatedly sending fighter jets, including H-6K bombers, into the Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone, which has was seen as a direct message to the new US administration that China will not give in. on his claims of sovereignty over the island.

The theme of working with Price’s allies was evident in the Biden administration during his first few weeks in office.

In words echoed by Price, new national security adviser Jake Sullivan said last week that Washington wanted to be “in tune with democratic allies and partners” when articulating America’s vision for the future. of the world.

“We are going to defend a certain set of principles in the face of aggression and the kind of measures China has taken,” Sullivan said at a roundtable discussion at the US Peace Institute in Washington.

An important part of this in the Indo-Pacific will be “the Quad”, an informal security relationship between the United States, Japan, India and Australia, he said.

The group has conducted joint military exercises over the past year and has reaffirmed ties within the four bilateral defense agreements.

“I think we really want to continue and build on this format, this mechanism that we see as a fundamental basis on which to build a substantial US policy in the Indo-Pacific region,” Sullivan said.

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