WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th February, 2021) US President Joe Biden warned in his first major address to an international audience on Friday against returning to a Cold War-style global confrontation despite competition with China and challenges from Russia.
"We cannot and must not return to the reflective opposition and rigid blocks of the Cold War. Competition must not lock out cooperation on issues that affect us all," Biden said in his speech at the Munich Security Conference.
He singled out the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of an issue that requires global cooperation.
"Challenges with Russia may be different from the ones with China but they are just as real. It's not about pitting East against West. It is not about we want a conflict. We want a future [where] all nations are able to freely determine their own path without a threat of violence and coercion," Biden said.
In his speech the President accused Russia of working to undermine the European unity and transatlantic solidarity, as well as to discredit democratic systems of governance. Biden also urged American allies to prepare for a long-term strategic competition with China and warned that it will be "stiff."
US tensions with China and Russia hit low points under the Trump administration but could get even worse. On Thursday, US Senator Tom Cotton called for decoupling from China's economy to win the "new Cold War." Meanwhile, the Biden administration has repeatedly accused Russia of hacking and election meddling, allegations Russian officials have repeatedly denied.
