US President Joe Biden on Sunday said that there is a serious struggle between autocracies and democracies and whether the latter form of governance can be sustained or not.
“I think we're in a genuine struggle between autocracies and democracies and whether or not democracies can be sustained,” Biden said.
He further said that his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping does not believe that democracy is an efficient form of governance and hence cannot be sustained in the 21st century.
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This is because, President Biden added, as per his Chinese counterpart democracies cannot arrive at a consensus on critical factors like rapidly evolving technologies.
“(President Xi) does not believe democracy can be sustained in the 21st century because things move so rapidly, technologies changing so much, democracies don't have time to arrive at a consensus, that's where autocracies will succeed,” Biden said.
China and the US held virtual bilateral summit talks on Friday which was dominated by the Ukrainian crisis.
As per a press release by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Biden said that the US does not seek a Cold War with China nor does it support the independence of Taiwan.
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“The US is ready to have candid dialogue and closer cooperation with China, stay committed to the one-China policy, and effectively manage competition and disagreements to ensure the steady growth of the relationship,” the press release said.
China is one the only permanent member of the UNSC which has abstained from condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
During the virtual meeting, President Biden warned his Chinese counterpart of serious implications should China provide military support to assist Russia in its war on Ukraine.
Meanwhile, China’s Vice-Foreign Minister Le Yucheng on Saturday said that the US’s current Indo-Pacific strategy of forming closed groups or blocs (such as Quad) leading to the region’s fragmentation is as dangerous a trend as NATO’s eastward expansion in Europe.
He also warned that should such fragmentation go unchecked, it will result in “unimaginable consequences” as well as push the region “over the edge of an abyss”.
Earlier this month, Chinese FM Wang Yi equated Quad with Five Eyes (an intelligence alliance which included Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US and the UK) and linked it to the American goal of establishing an Indo-Pacific version of NATO.
