Trump-Biden final debate: China ‘will be forced to play by international rules’
- US election contenders hold quieter, less chaotic discussion on foreign policy, Covid-19, race and climate change
- Trump is said to have done little preparation for the debate other than a few informal sessions aboard Air Force One
“We need to be having the rest of our friends with us saying to China: these are the rules,” Biden said of his plans to rally American allies to pressure Beijing. “You play by them or you’re going to pay the price for not playing by them, economically.”
Biden said an administration under his leadership would not tolerate intellectual property infringements of American companies operating in China – long an objective of the Trump administration – and vowed to “not pay attention” to any air defence identification zones set up by Beijing over the South China Sea.
When offered the chance to respond to Biden’s plan, Trump – as he did numerous times throughout the evening – sought to pivot to unsubstantiated allegations about Biden’s alleged involvement in his son’s previous business ventures in China.
09:59
Interruptions and insults dominate first Trump-Biden US presidential debate
Subsequently pushed by the moderator, NBC’s Kristen Welker, to elaborate on his previous pledge to “make China pay” for the spread of the coronavirus, Trump pivoted again to boast of the various tariffs his administration had placed on imports from China since 2018.