The United States would act to protect itself should China threaten its sovereignty, U.S. President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union address on Tuesday.
Biden insisted he was committed to working with China where it could advance U.S. interests and benefit the world.
He said, “But make no mistake about it, as we made clear last week if China threatens our sovereignty, we’ll act to protect our country. And we did.”
The U.S. on Sunday shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon, which had been flying over the country for days, with a missile off the Atlantic coast of South Carolina.
Biden said he had made it clear to China’s President Xi Jinping that the U.S. sought competition, not conflict.
He said, “I’ll make no apologies that we are investing to make America strong.
“Investing in American innovation, in industries that’ll define the future and that China’s government is intent on dominating.
“The world is faced with serious challenges.”
Biden added, “But in the past two years, democracies have become stronger, not weaker.
“Autocracies have grown weaker, not stronger.”
