United States President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that there was no need to be concerned about a potential armed conflict with China amid rising tensions with President Xi Jinping over what he considered was more of a "competition."
During Biden's closing press conference at the COP26 international summit, he said he was not worried about going up against Beijing. The Democratic leader said that his upcoming virtual summit with the Chinese president would make his statements clear.
Armed Conflict With China
The U.S. president said there was no need to have a conflict between the United States and China, but he said that he had warned Xi to play by the road rules. Biden added that the American government would not change its stance on several key issues, including China's aggressive claims on international sea lands.
During his speech, Biden said that he was not looking to have a conflict with China but quoted his father, who said, "The only conflict worse than one that's intended, is one that's unintended," CNN reported.
The situation comes after U.S. President Biden criticized President Xi after the Chinese leader failed to attend the international COP26 summit physically. The Democrat considered his Asian counterpart's actions as a "big mistake."
Biden's statement came after a reporter asked him during a press conference in Glasgow. The Democratic leader claimed that the conference's momentum has been lagging due to the fact that several international leaders of some of the world's largest nations were absent.
In his answer, Biden also called out Russia and Saudi Arabia for not showing up to the COP26 summit, saying it was a "problem." "We showed up. We showed up. And by showing up we've had a profound effect on the way I think the rest of the world is looking at the United States and its leadership role," said the U.S. president, Yahoo News reported.
Rising International Tensions
China is known to be the largest emitter of carbon dioxide globally, the second being the United States, and Russia comes in at fifth. The COP26 that was held in Scotland's largest city was attended by more than 120 leaders worldwide.
Many countries have struck major deals during the event, including a global pledge to reduce methane levels and end deforestation by 2030. In a press release, the Kremlin said that Russia took the "strongest and most vigorous measures to conserve" woodlands, as both China and Russia were signatories of the pledge to end deforestation.
When asked about the roles of other countries, including China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia, regarding the talks, Biden said that Beijing was trying to assert itself as a world leader but failed to show up to the event. He also said similar statements about Russia, saying President Vladimir Putin was staying quiet about the issue despite the burning of his country's wilderness.
Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, did not give any reason as to why the Russian leader did not attend the summit when the decision was announced in October. However, he noted that climate change was an important part of Russia's priorities, BBC reported.
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