BEIJING (AP) 鈥 China says it was smeared in U.S. President Joe Biden鈥檚 State of the Union address that repeatedly mentioned competition between the two countries.
China does not fear competing with the U.S. but is 鈥渙pposed to defining the entire China-U.S. relationship in terms of competition,鈥 Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing Wednesday.
鈥淚t is not the practice of a responsible country to smear a country or restrict the country鈥檚 legitimate development rights under the excuse of competition, even at the expense of disrupting the global industrial and supply chain," Mao said.
China will defend its interests and the U.S. should work with it to 鈥減romote the return of bilateral relations to a track of sound and stable development," she said.
Mao's comments came against a background of raging disputes over trade, Taiwan, human rights and access to advanced technologies.
Biden mentioned China and its leader, Xi Jinping, at least seven times in his address Tuesday night, focusing mainly on how the U.S. was increasingly prepared to compete with Beijing while also seeking to avoid conflict.
鈥淚鈥檝e made clear with President Xi that we seek competition, not conflict," Biden said.
鈥淚 will make no apologies that we are investing to make America strong. Investing in American innovation, in industries that will define the future, and that China鈥檚 government is intent on dominating," he said.
Biden said his administration is 鈥渃ommitted to work with China where it can advance American interests and benefit the world."
However, he also warned that 鈥渋f China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country," a pointed reference to the shooting down on Saturday of a that had traversed the continental United States.
China says the balloon was an unmanned civilian airship used for meteorological research and has strongly protested the U.S. action while threatening unspecified countermeasures.
The incident prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a trip to China this week that had stirred hopes of reversing the continued .
