China Responds to Biden’s State of the Union Address: “We Do Not Fear Competition with the U.S.

In a response to U.S. President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Wednesday that it is not the practice of a responsible country to smear another country or restrict its legitimate development rights under the excuse of competition.

Mao said that China does not fear competing with the U.S., but is opposed to defining the entire China-U.S. relationship in terms of competition. She added that China will defend its interests and the U.S. should work with it to promote the return of bilateral relations to a track of sound and stable development.

Biden’s speech was seen as unusually direct and has raised questions about how Beijing will respond. In the speech, Biden mentioned competition between the two countries multiple times, which has been seen as a symbolic choreography of the US-Chinese relationship.

The U.S. and China have had a strained relationship in recent years, with the U.S. accusing China of unfair trade practices and human rights violations. However, China has denied these accusations and has called for the two countries to work together to promote a sound and stable development.