President Joe Biden addressed the "stiff competition" with China on the global stage, but failed to call out the CCP abuses during the Munich Security Conference on Friday.
For the first time as President of the United States, Joe Biden delivered a speech during Friday's Munich Security Conference, which was attended by leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized nations.
In the speech, which was delivered virtually from the White House, Biden called upon the European leaders to be "clear-eyed" on the "historic levels of necessary spending" required to compete with China and protect intellectual property, Breitbart reported.
President Biden insisted, "We have to push back against the Chinese government's economic abuses and coercion that undercut the foundations of the international economic system." He admitted, "Competition with China is going to be stiff. That's what I expect, and that's what I welcome."
Biden said that just as organizations in the United States and Europe are required to publicly disclose corporate governance, Chinese companies should also be held accountable to do the same: abide by the global rules of business to quash corruption and eliminate monopolistic practices.
However, President Biden failed to address and even avoided calling out CCP abuses during the meeting of global leaders. While the U.S. Commander in Chief did highlight the country's efforts to re-establish the trans-Atlantic partnerships in the face of Beijing's intimidating behavior, he did not explicitly condemn the CCP abuses that are currently ongoing, specifically towards the Uyghur communities in Xinjiang, northwest China.
In a recent Townhall with CNN, Biden appeared to excuse China's acts of genocide against the Uyghurs as a mere "Chinese cultural norm." He also seemed to side with CCP general secretary Xi Jinping, explaining that the atrocious acts were mere "forceful" actions necessary for China to realize its "One China Policy."
"I point out to him, no American president can be sustained as a president if he doesn't reflect the values of the United States," Biden added, "and so the idea that I'm not going to speak out against what he's doing in Hong Kong, what he's doing with the Uyghurs in western mountains of China, and Taiwan, trying to end the One China Policy by making it forceful, I say--and by the he says--he gets it."
"Culturally there are different norms in each country and their leaders are expected to follow," Biden said in reference to the CCP's genocidal acts against Uyghurs, as well as the Communist nation's actions against the people of Hong Kong and Taiwan, particularly towards people of faith.
According to The Japan Times, Biden was not the only G7 leader who "skirted" the issue of CCP abuses. While the G7 leaders did discuss China "at length" during the virtual call, they failed to "disguise a growing sense" that these abuses are something they will need to collectively confront soon. Additionally, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's remarks about China were evidently stronger than that of the other nations.
The outgoing Merkel, who is set to step down following 16 years of service, had some choice words for the communist country, saying, "China has gained a global punch in the past few years. As a trans-Atlantic union and as democracies of this world, we will have to counter that by concrete actions."
The challenge now in calling out CCP abuses is that China has evolved to become a major trading partner and manufacturer of several "key technologies" that these countries depend on for growth sustainability. The COVID-19 pandemic added another layer of challenge with the economy crashing. The G7 leaders are careful not to create an "anti-China front" during the meeting, but maintained that they have to "act firmly and with determination toward Beijing."
The G7 leaders, together with Biden, are set to have an in-person meeting in Cornwall, southwest England in June, during which they will come up with a common strategy for dealing with China and the CCP's abuses. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a press conference that they are "reflecting very carefully on the best path."
