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Biden on why China's Xi believes democracy can't be sustained: 'We are in a genuine struggle'
On Friday, Biden discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with Chinese President Xi Jinping over a virtual meeting during which the US President outlined the views of America and its allies and partners on the crisis.
US President Joe Biden said his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, does not believe in democracy can be sustained in the 21st century because democracies do not have time to arrive at a consensus in rapidly changing times.
“I think we're in a genuine struggle between autocracies and democracies and whether or not democracies can be sustained,” Biden said.
He added that President Xi “does not believe democracy can be sustained in the 21st century because things move so rapidly, technologies changing so much, democracies don't have time to arrive at a consensus, that's where autocracies will succeed”.
On Friday, Biden discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with Xi over a virtual meeting during which the US President outlined the views of America and its allies and partners on the crisis. He warned of “implications and consequences” if China provides material support to Russia in its war against Ukraine and attack on civilians.
China is among the few countries that have not deplored Russia’s aggression in Ukraine but its top diplomat to Washington pledged that Beijing “will do” everything to de-escalate the war. Appearing on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Ambassador Qin Gang argued that condemnation doesn't solve the problem.
"[C]ondemnation, you know, only, doesn't help. We need wisdom. We need- We stand- We need courage and we need good diplomacy,” the envoy said.
Biden, meanwhile, has added a stop in Poland to his Europe trip for talks with NATO and European allies as Russia wages war in Ukraine. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the leaders will discuss international efforts to support Ukraine and impose severe and unprecedented costs on Russia for its invasion.
"The President will discuss how the United States, alongside our Allies and partners, is responding to the humanitarian and human rights crisis that Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked war on Ukraine has created," Psaki said in a statement.
