US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that China is seeking to become the most powerful country in the world, but "that's not happening on my watch."
"I see stiff competition with China," Biden told reporters at the White House, in a question-and-answer session largely dominated by domestic concerns but also touching on foreign policy hot spots.
"China has an overall goal ... to become the leading country in the world, the wealthiest country in the world and the most powerful country in the world. That's not going to happen on my watch," he said.
Under the previous administration of Donald Trump, ties between China and the US reached their lowest level since diplomatic relations were established in 1979.
While Beijing has been aiming to reset ties, Biden said he planned to press President Xi Jinping on a range of issues, including aggressive policies toward Taiwan and its military expansion in the Indo-Pacific region.
He also singled out rights abuses against the mostly Muslim Uighur minority and the crackdown on Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.
Biden said he told Xi in their first call a month ago: "As long as you and your country continue to so blatantly violate human rights, we're going to continue in an unrelenting way to call to the attention of the world and make it clear - make it clear - what is happening."
Source: DPA
