This is a fierce competition (that is) underway, the future of the global economy, technology, human values and so much else. Right now, in my view, thanks to our administration, the United States is winning the worldwide competition," Biden said
Joe Biden. Pic/AFP
The US is "winning" the worldwide competition while its adversaries are facing headwinds, President Joe Biden said on Monday. The 82-year-old outgoing president drove to the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the US State Department to deliver his last foreign policy speech in which he highlighted the achievements of his administration and how the world had changed in the past four years. "A new era has begun. In these four years, we faced crises that we've been tested. We've come through those tests stronger, in my view, than we entered those tests. This is a fierce competition (that is) underway, the future of the global economy, technology, human values and so much else. Right now, in my view, thanks to our administration, the United States is winning the worldwide competition," Biden said.
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He added that, compared to four years ago, the US was stronger, its alliances were stronger while its adversaries and competitors were weaker. "We have not gone to war to make these things happen. During my presidency, I've increased America's power in every dimension. We increased our diplomatic power, creating more allies the US has ever had in the history of our nation," he asserted. "We have increased our military power, making the most significant investments in the defence industrial base in decades. We've increased the technology power, taking the lead in artificial intelligence and other technologies of the future. And we've increased the economic power, building the most dynamic economy in the world from the bottom up and the middle out, not the top down," the president added. Biden asserted that the US had become "stronger at home, stronger in the world" since he and Vice-President Kamala Harris took office. "¿now, America is more capable and I would argue, better prepared than we've been in a long, long time. While our competitors and adversaries are facing stiff headwinds, we have the wind at our back because of all of you," he said.
"This is what we're heading into and over the next administration, that's what we're handing it to," Biden added. The president laid out what his administration had done, the opportunities created for the US and those opportunities going forward. "Today, I can report to the American people, our sources of national power are far stronger than we were when we took office. Our economy is booming, although there's more work to do. Our technologies, from artificial intelligence to biotech quantum to advanced semiconductors, they're the envy of the world. And we have made the most significant investments in America and the American workers since the New Deal. To rebuild, our roads and bridges our ports and airports, clean water systems, affordable high-speed Internet and so much more," he said. Biden also said the US's alliances were stronger than they had been in decades. NATO is more capable than it's ever been and many more of its allies are paying their fair share, he said.
"Before I took office, nine NATO allies were spending 2 per cent of their GDP on defence. Now 23 are spending 2 per cent." "Look at the Indo-Pacific. We've made partnerships stronger and created new partnerships to challenge China's aggressive behaviour and to rebalance power in the region. We did it, what few thought was possible, to build the first ever trilateral partnership between the US, Japan and South Korea, then another among the US, Japan and the Philippines, drawing closer our Pacific allies to defend our shared security and prosperity," he said. Biden highlighted brokering a defence pact known as AUKUS among the US, Australia and the US, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific allies "as only America is able to do". "And we've taken the Quad to the next level, the US, Japan, Australia and India. When we had that first meeting, I was dumbfounded when they all called and said can we do this at your house," Biden said. The outgoing president also said his administration had reinvigorated people's faith in the US as a true partner. "Today, I can report to the American people, our adversaries are weaker than they were when we came into this job. Just consider Russia. When Putin invaded Ukraine, he thought he'd conquer Kyiv in a matter of days."
"But the truth is, since that war began, I'm the only one that stood in the centre of Kyiv, not him. Putin never has. It was a long train ride, but I'm the only commander in chief to visit a war zone not controlled by US forces. We helped Ukrainians stop Putin and now, nearly three years later, Putin has failed to achieve any of his of his strategic objectives. He has failed to subjugate Ukraine, failed to break the break the unity of NATO, and failed to make large territorial gains," Biden asserted. He also observed that the US was in a better strategic position in the long-term competition with China than it was four years ago. "Today, I can also report to the American people, we're the first president in decades who's not leaving a war in Afghanistan to his successor. When we got (Osama) bin Laden during the Obama-Biden administration, the primary objective of the war had been accomplished. I believe that going forward, the primary threat of al-Qaida would no longer be emanating from Afghanistan but from elsewhere," Biden said.
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