Biden handles strained China ties amidst resurfacing COVID-19 concerns.
President Joe Biden Faces Renewed Policy Pressure
President Joe Biden is facing renewed policy pressure as two major issues, China and the coronavirus, reemerge in the headlines.
COVID-19 Origins Deadline Missed
A deadline to release information related to the origins of COVID-19 came and went Sunday with no action from the White House. This has raised concerns and questions about transparency.
Lukewarm Reception in Beijing
Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Beijing did not go as planned. Despite a delayed start, he only met with President Xi Jinping for 35 minutes. Blinken tried to emphasize the trip as a way to build stronger relations between the two nations, but the reception was lukewarm.
“China’s broad economic success is also in our interest. We have done a remarkable job rebounding from COVID and having a growing economy — very low unemployment, tremendous investments in our future,” Blinken said in Beijing. “But we also benefit tremendously when there is growth and progress in other countries — especially of one of the world’s largest economies when it comes to China.”
Despite mentioning the economic effects of COVID-19, Blinken did not address the origins of the virus at all.
Deadline Missed Raises Questions
Senator Mike Braun suggested that Biden’s failure to meet the origins deadline was tied to Blinken’s visit, which began on the same day. Braun pointed out that there is no exception in the law President Biden signed for a Secretary of State meeting with Xi Jinping.
“The White House is now overdue to declassify their COVID lab leak intel, and there is no ‘Secretary of State is meeting with Xi Jinping’ exception in the law President Biden signed,” Braun said. “We need to know the truth about how this pandemic started and China’s role in covering it up, and the White House must respect the text of the law passed unanimously in both chambers by the people’s representatives.”
The COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023 was unanimously passed by Congress in March. Biden signed it, expressing his commitment to releasing as much information as possible about the origins of the virus. However, the 90-day deadline for declassifying the intelligence has passed without any action from the White House.
Concerns Raised by Experts
While the lack of news coverage on this issue may be surprising, experts like Richard Ebright from Rutgers University consider it a major oversight.
“It is dismaying that a sitting president of the United States breaks the law, violates the oath of office, and shows contempt for the public on a matter of national importance, and, thus far, suffers no consequences for doing so,” Ebright, a chemical biology professor, said. “If not corrected immediately and in full, impeachment indeed would be the proper course of action.”
Biden did make disparaging remarks about China, but not in relation to the virus. He implied that President Xi was unaware of a spy balloon shot down over the United States that had drifted into North America, describing him as a dictator in the process.
In response, Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry, criticized the comment as a “blatant political provocation.”
Despite Blinken’s visit, China refused to establish a crisis communications channel with U.S. military officials. However, President Xi described the overall encounter as “very good.”
Criticism of Biden’s Foreign Policy
Blinken’s visit and the complications that followed have once again led to criticism of President Biden’s foreign policy. Republican critics argue that the administration has not achieved any significant outcomes in its dealings with China.
“It’s clear that the Biden administration got nothing in return for continuing to give the CCP a pass,” reads a statement from Republican National Committee spokesman Tommy Pigott. “A military channel of communication? Rejected. The release of wrongfully detained Americans held by the CCP? Nope. Accountability on TikTok or the spy balloon? Definitely not… Weakness is the policy of the Biden administration, and it’s emboldening Communists while putting the American people in danger.”
These recent developments have put President Biden under increased pressure to address these critical issues effectively.
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