China is “testing” the Indo-Pacific

CLAYMONT, Delaware (AP) — President Joe Biden told Indo-Pacific allies on Monday that he views China’s growing military assertiveness as an attempt to test the region at a challenging juncture for the Asian country.

Biden’s comments were captured after he failed to notice his microphone was still on after he and other Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) dignitaries delivered their opening remarks to reporters.

Speaking at the summit, which is taking place near Biden’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, the US president said his administration views Beijing’s actions as a “change in tactics, not strategy.”

China is still struggling to recover its economy from the coronavirus pandemic, suffering a prolonged slowdown in industrial activity and property prices as Beijing faces pressure to increase spending to stimulate demand.

“China continues to behave aggressively, testing all of us across the region, particularly in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, South China, South Asia, and the Taiwan Strait,” Biden told Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

“At least from our perspective, we believe that (Chinese President) Xi Jinping is seeking to focus on his country’s economic challenges and to minimize friction in China’s diplomatic relations, and he is also seeking to gain room to maneuver in the diplomatic sphere, in my view, to aggressively promote Chinese interests,” he added.

Since a trade war between the two countries erupted in 2018, the rift between China and the United States has been growing over a range of issues ranging from global security, such as China’s claims in the South China Sea, to industrial policy on the manufacturing of electric vehicles and solar panels.

The United States has repeatedly expressed concern about Chinese aggression toward Taiwan and, more recently, about frequent clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

China also has long-standing territorial disputes with Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.

U.S. officials are concerned that China is seeking to annex Taiwan to the mainland and that its claims could spark a war with Taiwan. Beijing claims the self-ruled island as part of its territory.

Biden recently sent his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, to Beijing for three days of negotiations with Chinese officials.