Former Vice President Joe Biden urged Americans not to worry about the rise of China in a 2011 New York Times op-ed.
The op-ed titled “China’s Rise Isn’t Our Demise” argued that a more prosperous China would be a good thing for the U.S. (RELATED: Joe Biden Left Speechless As He Tries To Explain Why He Can’t Search Tara Reade’s Name In Delaware Records)
“I remain convinced that a successful China can make our country more prosperous, not less,” Biden wrote.
The then-vice president argued that the U.S. and China “share common challenges and responsibilities,” arguing for more cooperation between the two nations.
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event on March 2, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
“On issues from global security to global economic growth, we share common challenges and responsibilities — and we have incentives to work together,” Biden wrote. “That is why our administration has worked to put our relationship on a stable footing. I am convinced, from nearly a dozen hours spent with Vice President Xi Jinping, that China’s leadership agrees.”
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has repeatedly dismissed China as a threat on the campaign trail, saying “they’re not bad folks,” and that “they’re not competition for us.” (RELATED: FLASHBACK: Joe Biden Says ‘China Is Not Our Problem’)
China is expected to play a major role in the 2020 presidential election, as the world grapples with holding the communist nation accountable for covering up the severity of the coronavirus, which began in the Chinese province of Wuhan.
Allies to President Donald Trump have sought to make Biden’s past comments an issue in the upcoming election. America First Action, a Pro-Trump super PAC, began running advertisements last month referring to the likely Democratic nominee as “Beijing Biden.”
“China stole American manufacturing and hoarded our emergency stock pile. Now more than ever, America needs to stop China, and to stop China, you have to stop Joe Biden,” the commercial states.