WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Wittman released the following statement in response to President Biden’s virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping:
“President Biden has downplayed and even denied the threat of China despite clear and consistent aggression from the Chinese Communist Party. This meeting between President Biden and President Xi Jinping was a missed opportunity to reassert the United States’ strength and will on the global stage. To make matters worse, the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has taken the lives of over 762,000 Americans and of which China continues to block and obfuscate the truth about, was not even discussed during this meeting.
“To be clear: President Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party are not friends of the United States. The CCP poses a clear and real threat to our nation, one that must be taken seriously. That Biden “welcomed” the competition clearly indicates that the administration is not taking this threat seriously. President Biden hopes that our two countries don’t “veer into conflict,” while the CCP seems intent to steer us there. Xi’s ominous warning that “those who play with fire will get burned,” was directed at Taiwanese independence, but implicitly included international intervention. From this war of words, it is clear that the Biden Administration is desperately throwing pails on a five-alarm blaze."