Biden’s Sept. 21 UN Address Stresses Diplomacy, But Hints at Unrelenting Conflict with China

By Michael Klare

In his address the UN General Assembly on Sept. 21, President Biden stressed that the United States was prepared to place renewed emphasis on diplomacy in its relations with other nations, and to engage in cooperative efforts to overcome global perils such as climate change, pandemics, and endemic poverty. The underlying message of his speech, however, was unrelenting hostility towards China. 

Not once did Biden mention China by name in his speech. But the delegates present in the room and those watching from afar could have no doubt he was referring to China in numerous comments about the threats to global peace, human rights, and economic fairness and the need to counter those threats in a consistent, organized fashion. 

Speaking of the challenges posed by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, for example, he said, “we’ll work together with our democratic partners to ensure that new advances [in such technologies] are used to lift people up, to solve problems, and advance human freedom – not to suppress dissent or target minority communities,” an obvious reference to China’s repression of the Uyghur population of Xinjiang province. 

In another obvious reference to the Uyghurs (and to pro-democracy forces in Hong Kong), he said, “The future will belong to those who give their people the ability to breathe free, not those who seek to suffocate their people with an iron hand.” 

On economic matters, he said, “We will pursue new rules of global trade and economic growth that strive to level the playing field so that it’s not artificially tipped in favor of any one country at the expense of others and every nation has a right and the opportunity to compete fairly” – surely not a reference to U.S. economic dominance, but to Chinese behavior. 

He followed this by saying, “We’ll continue to uphold the longstanding rules and norms that have formed the guardrails of international engagement for decades that have been essential to the development of nations around the world – bedrock commitments like freedom of navigation [and] adherence to international laws and treaties.” Again, it’s obvious he wasn’t speaking of the U.S. or its allies, but of China’s contested claims to islands in the South China Sea. 

He was, no doubt, again thinking of the South China Sea when he said, “We’ll stand up for our allies and our friends and oppose attempts by stronger countries to dominate weaker ones, whether through changes to territory by force, economic coercion, technological exploitation, or disinformation.” 

Alongside these obvious criticisms of China, Biden hinted at his administration’s efforts to build a military coalition to contain China’s rise. In a passage on his determination to rebuild alliances, he said, “We elevated the Quad partnership among Australia, India, Japan, and the United States to take on challenges ranging from health security to climate to emerging technologies” – a totally disingenuous comment, given that the Quad is largely a military partnership with the sole aim of containing China. This followed, as all those present at the UN were undoubtedly aware, the U.S. decision – announced two days earlier – to sell nuclear-powered submarines to Australia intended for joint military operations aimed at China. 

He then said, with no apparent irony, “we’re not seeking – I’ll say it again – we are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs.” But anyone who heard Biden speak or who reads a transcript of Biden’s remarks can have no doubt but that is the inevitable outcome of his anti-China foreign policy.