Joe Biden insists US leads China as he explains decision to 'pass the torch'

In his first major address since announcing he was ending his quest for a second term, US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday his country leads China and vowed to bolster support for American allies in the Pacific.

"When I came to office, the conventional wisdom was that China would inevitably surpass the United States," said Biden, speaking from the Oval Office. "That's not the case any more."

Manufacturing has "come back to America" while "we're leading the world again in chips and science and innovation" amid falling inflation and rising wages, the president said.

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Biden, who will leave office in January after a four-year term, pledged to make the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) "more powerful and more united" than at any time in American history and "keep doing the same for our allies in the Pacific".

The US has treaty alliances with Japan and the Philippines, but Biden has previously described China, the world's second largest economy, as the "most serious competitor" to the United States.

US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office on Wednesday. Photo: AP alt=US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office on Wednesday. Photo: AP>

Biden said his decision to step down was driven by a desire to do "unite" his Democratic Party and give rise to "younger voices".

"I decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation," he said. "It's the best way to unite our nation."

Biden spent part of his 10-minute speech insisting he still had more to do, particularly preventing "more damage" in Ukraine, ending Israel's war in Gaza and growing the US economy. "Today we have the strongest economy in the world," he said.

He also highlighted accomplishments such as creating jobs, expanding healthcare and placing a black woman on the Supreme Court. He pledged to keep pushing for a "moon shot" end to cancer.

The 81-year old Biden's decision on Sunday to step aside amid criticism over his advancing age and questions about his fitness sent shock waves across the American political landscape.

On that note, Biden threw support on Wednesday behind Vice-President Kamala Harris, who's widely expected to win her party's nomination to replace Biden in the election against the Republican nominee, former president Donald Trump.

"She's experienced, she's touch, she's capable," Biden said. "She's been an incredible partner for me and a leader for our country. Now the choice is up to you, the American people."

Biden had kept a low public profile since last week, isolating at his Delaware beach house after learning he had Covid-19. But he called into Democratic campaign headquarters on Monday urging staffers to give "every bit of your heart and soul" to Harris.

US Vice-President Kamala Harris on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters alt=US Vice-President Kamala Harris on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters>

No sitting US president has ever stepped down this late in the election cycle, and no major political party has had an open convention in six decades.

In the first two days following Biden's announcement and endorsement of Harris, Democrats unified quickly behind her with funding, convention delegates and endorsements.

But Harris' challenge remains huge. Democratic Party machinery and strategy, years in the making, have to be retooled quickly. She still faces months of scrutiny by voters and political opponents.

Also expected: a blizzard of Republican Party attacks on her record, as San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and senator and vice-president in the Biden administration.

"It was clear that [Biden's candidacy] was deep, deep trouble and it wasn't going away," said Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll. "Harris seems be in a command position ... On the other hand, she struggled in her 2019 run and so she's not a sure thing on the campaign trail."

A memo from Harris campaign director Jen O'Malley Dillon on Wednesday argued that Harris, 59, is well positioned to win in the November 5 election given her ardent pro-abortion stance, ability to expand the Democratic voter base and appeal among undecided voters.

Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina on Wednesday Photo: AP alt=Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina on Wednesday Photo: AP>

"The vice-president is in a strong position to take on Donald Trump and win in 104 days," O'Malley said, noting that Harris raised a record US$126 million in two days after Biden endorsed her.

Democrats face a Republican Party that emerged last week from its convention unified behind Trump after he survived an assassination attempt that cast him as strong and defiant.

But Republicans also must pivot in a showdown likely to be focused on Trump's own age - he is 78 - cognitive slippage and status as a convicted felon after a New York jury found him guilty of 34 counts of election-related document fraud in May.

Republican leaders warned party members on Wednesday to hold off making overtly racist or sexist statements about Harris, even though Trump has a history of using harsh language against his opponents.

Political strategists have cautioned that such an approach could backfire against Harris, the first woman, black and Asian-American to be vice-president.

"This election will be about policies and not personalities," House Speaker Mike Johnson said after a closed-door meeting of the Republican caucus. "Her ethnicity or her gender have nothing to do with this whatsoever."

Harris would be expected to largely follow Biden's China strategy, at least initially.

In 2020, Biden campaigned on a pledge to revisit hardline China policies championed by Trump, who launched an unmatched trade war that ultimately affected more than US$380 billion in US farm and other exports and Chinese manufactured goods and services. US tariffs during the trade war have hit some US$550 billion in goods from China.

After Biden defeated Trump, though, he maintained and even added to the tariffs, in particular targeting hi-tech sectors under a "small yard, high wall" strategy.

Biden's foreign policy record has been mixed, marked by a chaotic departure of US forces in Afghanistan, rallying Nato to back Ukraine against Russia's invasion, and the controversial support of Israel in the Gaza war.

Biden also strengthened US alliances, arrayed not only against Russia but also as a response to China's growing footprint in the Indo-Pacific region.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.