Ukraine dominates Biden’s State of the Union but China is not forgotten
- President uses traditional address to Congress to announce ban on Russian airlines flying over US airspace, emphasises Western unity
- The one-hour speech contained just a handful of mentions for China, but its presence in the subtext was unmistakable
“In the battle between democracy and autocracies, democracies are rising to the moment, and the world is clearly choosing the side of peace and security.”
Biden used the occasion to announce that the US will follow the European Union and other countries in banning Russian airlines from flying through US airspace.
“Putin is now isolated from the world more than he has ever been,” he said.
Delivered before lawmakers assembled in the House chamber, Biden’s one-hour speech contained just a handful of mentions for China.
But the rising power, which his administration considers a major threat to US interests, was an unmistakable subtext to many of his comments about efforts to counter aggression by illiberal countries.
“Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson: when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression they cause more chaos,” Biden said. “They keep moving. And the costs and threats to … America and to the world keep rising.”
‘Rock solid’ support for Taiwan: ex-US officials to visit amid Ukraine war
Biden spoke as a delegation of former high-level military and security officials takes part in meetings with Taiwanese officials in Taipei, as a show of the administration’s “rock-solid” support for the self-governed island in the face of rising pressure from Beijing.
Biden said the US and China were engaged in a race to “win the economic competition of the 21st century”, and vowed that the US was embarking on an “infrastructure decade”, announcing a new effort this year to fix more than 65,000 miles of highway and 1,500 bridges in disrepair.
“I’ve told [Chinese President] Xi Jinping it’s never been a good bet to bet against the American people,” he said.
And in language closely echoing that of his predecessor, former president Donald Trump, Biden said US success in competing for the “jobs of the future” would depend on securing a “level playing field with China and other competitors”.
US House passes the China-focused America Competes Act
To that end, he urged Congress to advance China-focused legislation awaiting reconciliation that would increase US investments in emerging technologies such as semiconductors.
“Let’s not wait any longer,” he implored the assembled lawmakers. “Send it to my desk. I’ll sign it. And we will really take off in a big way.”
Biden made the case for US competitiveness on the world stage as his performance disappoints an increasing number of voters at home, frustrated with sharply rising inflation and ongoing fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
Heading into Tuesday’s speech, 53.5 per cent of Americans polled disapproved of Biden’s performance with 41.1 per cent in favour, giving a minus-12.4 point net approval rating, according to FiveThirtyEight.
At the beginning of his term, he enjoyed a plus-17 net approval rating, with the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August proving to be a critical turning point.
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“I get it,” Biden said of the pain Americans were feeling amid rising costs. “That’s why my top priority is getting prices under control.”
The State of the Union address is an annual tradition when presidents highlight their achievements to date and lay out policy priorities for the year ahead.
While Biden addressed a joint session of Congress in April, around 100 days into his presidency, that was not considered a State of the Union address, following a convention that presidents do not give the speech during the first or final years of their term.
Present in the US House chamber was the Ukrainian ambassador to Washington, Oksana Markarova, who sat with first lady Jill Biden as one of the White House’s invited guests.
At multiple points throughout the evening, Biden’s remarks on the Ukraine crisis elicited standing ovations from lawmakers, many brandishing Ukrainian flags and some dressed in the bright blue and yellow of the country’s colours.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has added another stress point to already strained relations between Washington and Beijing, with the Biden administration urging the Chinese government to denounce the attack and use its influence with Moscow to bring about a de-escalation.
But aside from general comments calling for an end to the violence in Europe, Beijing has refrained from any explicit criticism of Moscow and has refused to vote against Russia in United Nations motions related to the invasion.
