Biden in Vietnam: ‘We’re all better off if China does well’

After attending the G-20 Summit over the weekend in India, President Joe Biden made a stop in Vietnam — a move opposed by neighboring China. On Monday, Sept. 11, Biden said the United States’ relations with Vietnam had “entered a new stage.” The Southeast Asian nation lifted the U.S. to its highest diplomatic status alongside China and Russia.

Biden’s trip to two neighboring countries of China prompted Mao Ning, of China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, to say the U.S. needs to “abandon the Cold War mentality and zero-sum-game mindset.”

“I don’t want to contain China,” Biden said on Sunday, Sept. 10 in Hanoi. “I just want to make sure we have a relationship with China that is on the up and up, squared away — everybody knows what it’s all about.”

Biden reassured Beijing, saying, “We’re not looking to hurt China — sincerely. We’re all better off if China does well.”

While Chinese President Xi Jinping skipped the G-20 Summit, Biden said he spoke with Premier Li Qiang, the country’s No. 2 leader, while in New Delhi. This was the highest-level meeting between the two countries in nearly 10 months. 

“We talked about stability,” Biden said. “It wasn’t confrontational at all.”

At age 80, President Biden is looking to win reelection in 2024. His age was a topic of conversation for Vietnam’s Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, 79, who told the U.S. president, “You have nary aged a day and I would say you look even better than before.”