Iran Press/ America: President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he is not concerned with the possibility of an armed conflict with China, adding that he's made clear to Chinese President Xi Jinping that this is "competition" not "conflict."
"Am I worried about an armed conflict or something happening accidentally with China? No, I'm not," Biden told CNN's Phil Mattingly while speaking at his closing press conference at the COP26 Summit.
Biden said that at his upcoming -- but not yet set--- virtual summit with Xi that he would continue to make clear, "This is competition. It does not have to be conflict."
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"There's no reason there need to be conflict. But I've also indicated to him, so I'm not reluctant to say it publicly, that we expect him to play by the rules of the road," Biden said, adding the US would not change its stance on several issues, including international sea lands.
"I'm not looking for, I don't anticipate there will be a need for physical conflict, but you know, as you've heard me say this before, my dad had an expression, 'The only conflict worse than one that's intended, is one that's unintended," Biden added.
Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, two counterparts who Biden desperately hopes to personally engage as he works to prevent already-tense relationships from deteriorating further, did not attend either major summit this week.
The given reason for Xi and Putin's absences at the summits is the ongoing COVID pandemic. Cases are spiking in Russia, and Xi hasn't left China in 21 months as the virus spread across the world. Visiting the summits may also have subjected Xi to his country's quarantine requirements, which would have made attending an upcoming party congress meeting difficult.
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