Biden calls China ‘xenophobic’ and increases campaign rhetoric

President Joe Biden called China “xenophobic” while highlighting the Asian country’s economic problems as he sought to defend the US’ economic strength during a campaign stop in the swing state of Pennsylvania.

“They have a population that is made up more of retired people than working people. They are not importing anything. They are xenophobic – no one comes in anymore. They have real problems,” Biden said of China in remarks to steel workers in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

The president’s comments follow a phone call he made two weeks ago with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the first since a face-to-face meeting in November. While global relations have stabilized of late, tensions are rising over Chinese investment in manufacturing, which risks leading to job losses among blue-collar workers.

The comments were one of Biden’s sharpest rebukes of the world’s second-largest economy, which grew faster than expected in the first quarter even as doubts persist about the strength of the recovery. The Foreign Ministry in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the president’s comments.

See more information: Biden calls Xi a ‘dictator’ shortly after praising progress in repairing US-China relationship

Biden also called for higher tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum, part of a series of measures to strengthen the American steel sector, including the president’s promise that Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp. would not successfully acquire Pittsburgh-based United States Steel Corp..

The tariffs would prompt the US to impose new 25% duties on certain Chinese steel and aluminum products as part of an ongoing review, while his administration also launches a formal investigation into China’s shipbuilding industry. China’s Commerce Ministry on Wednesday criticized the U.S. review, saying it was “full of false accusations” and “based on domestic political necessity.”

Biden also criticized Donald Trump for his policies toward Beijing while in office.

“Trump just doesn’t get it,” Biden said, claiming it is incorrect to see China as being on the rise and the US lagging behind. Asked as he departed Pittsburgh whether steel tariffs would harm ties with Xi, Biden responded “no.”

Chinese authorities have recently sought to boost investor confidence abroad, after years of stringent pandemic restrictions and tighter national security controls dented sentiment. Direct investment by foreign companies in China fell to a 30-year low in 2023, underlining the challenges Beijing faces.

Xi’s government recently expanded visa-free entry to a number of European and Asian nations, after he promised “moving” measures for investors last year during a trip to the US. shutting down the nation during the pandemic: Shanghai’s business hub saw 44% fewer foreign visitors in the first two months of this year compared with the same period in 2019.

Imports have also been weak, with falling raw material prices and weak domestic demand due to a housing market crisis and other issues hampering Chinese purchases of foreign goods. Imports rose 1.5% in the first three months of this year, after falling 5.5% last year.

Biden also promised to continue efforts to deny China advanced technology such as computer chips, which has spurred Xi to invest to become more self-reliant.

“They cannot be sent to China because that would harm our national security,” Biden said. “When I spoke to Xi Jinping he said ‘Why?’ And I said, ‘Because you would use it for the wrong reasons, so you won’t get those advanced computer chips.'”