China accused the US President of hypocrisy this Thursday, a day after Joe Biden criticized the Asian country’s authorities for alleged xenophobia and fraud in the global steel trade.
“I would like to ask you: are you talking about China or are you talking about the United States,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a news conference when asked about the North American leader’s statements.
During a campaign visit to the US state of Pennsylvania, Joe Biden accused Beijing of “fraud” in the global steel trade, harming US manufacturers and their workers.
It is a key constituency in November’s presidential election, in which he will face Republican challenger Donald Trump.
“They are xenophobes,” the US president said, referring to China, during a speech at the headquarters of the United Steelworkers (USW) in Pittsburgh, the historic capital of the United States steel industry.
The Democratic Party leader lamented the fact that Chinese steel companies “don’t have to worry about making a profit because they are heavily subsidized by the Chinese government.”
“They don’t compete, they cheat. And we’ve seen the damage here in America,” he added.
“I’m not looking for confrontation with China, I want competition, but fair competition,” added Joe Biden, guaranteeing that there will be no “trade war” with Beijing.
The North American president also announced Wednesday that he intends to triple tariffs on steel and aluminum from China.
“We always ask the United States to sincerely respect the principles of fair competition, respect the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and immediately stop protectionist measures against China,” responded spokesman Lin Jian.
“China will take all necessary measures to protect its legitimate rights,” he stressed, without specifying the nature of these measures.
Joe Biden’s comments come in the context of intense political and economic rivalry with China, despite renewed dialogue between the two countries.