Joe Biden says his US$2.3 trillion infrastructure plan is essential for US to compete with China
- The wide-ranging proposal will help ensure US global leadership in the face of a rising China, president says
- ‘America is no longer the leader of the world because we aren’t investing,’ he says in promoting his plan.
Speaking in Washington, Biden stressed the urgency of the proposal, which has met with resistance from Republicans and even several Democratic lawmakers who say the price tag is too high and object to the administration’s plans to pay for it.
“You think China is waiting around to invest in this digital infrastructure, on research and development?” Biden asked. “I promise you, they are not waiting. But they’re counting on American democracy to be too slow, too limited and too divided to keep pace.”
When Biden unveiled the American Jobs Plan last week, he mentioned China six times.
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“It will create millions of jobs, good-paying jobs. It will grow the economy, make us more competitive around the world, promote our national security interests and put us in a position to win the global competition with China in the upcoming years,” he said on March 31 in Pittsburgh.