Biden says China will ‘eat out lunch’ if the U.S. doesn’t step up on infrastructure

U.S. President Joe Biden told lawmakers on Thursday that there was a great need to step up on infrastructure as China is aggressively outpacing them.

He pointed out that China is investing billions of dollars into infrastructural development, especially those related to transportation and environment. Biden said the U.S. rival nation has a “major new initiative on rail” and has successfully built a rail that goes 225 miles per hour “with ease.”

“They’re going to, you know, if we don’t get moving, they’re going to eat our lunch,” President Biden said. “We just have to step up. And so what I’d like to talk to these folks about – since they are key committee – is how we begin this. I’ve laid out what I think we should be doing.”

During his campaign, Biden proposed spending $2 trillion over four years to create more jobs and invest in clean energy infrastructure. A 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) “report card” graded the United States’ infrastructure “D+”. The association estimated that the country would need at least $2 trillion by 2025 to upgrade its infrastructure, and it would cost the country twice if no immediate action is taken towards it.

Biden’s warning came after his first phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who took a line on human rights. Both presidents discussed several other friction points between China and the US. The White House said president Biden mentioned “fundamental” concerns about Beijing’s “coercive and unfair” trade practices. He also mentioned the unfair treatment of Muslims in China and the crackdown in Hong Kong.

Biden also mentioned China’s lack of transparency over the coronavirus outbreak and its increasingly assertive approach towards Taiwan. In defense, President Xi referred to the happenings in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Taiwan, matters of “sovereignty and territorial integrity.”  

Since he resumed office as US president, Biden and his administration have been working to address human rights abuses and trade relations between the United States and China.

During an address at the State Department last week, Biden said he would build stronger relationships with allies to initiate a pushback against Beijing. “We will confront China’s economic abuses,” referring to Beijing as America’s “most serious competitor.” For years, there has been ongoing tension between Beijing and Washington, the two largest economies in the world.

Under the Trump administration, the tensions between both economies escalated into a trade war which led to the banning of some Chinese technology companies including TikTok, from doing business in the US. Although Biden is determined to aggressively compete against China, he said his approach would be much different from his predecessor’s.

“I’m not going to do it the way Trump did. We are going to focus on the international rules of the road,” Biden said.

Concerning China’s role in the coronavirus outbreak and lack of transparency, Biden said he was working on getting on the facts.