Joe Biden not being hard enough on China says adviser

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The US President delivered a keynote speech to security chiefs on Tuesday and spoke of the increased cyber threats against the US in the wake of growing tensions with China and Russia. Speaking at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Mr Biden warned the US could be dragged into a “real shooting war with a major power” if there was a “cyber breach of great consequence”.

China has since issued an ominous response amid the prospect of an all-out conflict with the US.

In an editorial in the Global Times, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, it says: “This is more like a threat of war against China and Russia than merely a warning.”

The Biden administration has placed cybersecurity towards the top of its priorities after a series of high-profile attacks on entities.

Mr Biden said: “I think it’s more than likely we’re going to end up, if we end up in a war – a real shooting war with a major power – it’s going to be as a consequence of a cyber breach of great consequence.

“And it’s increasing exponentially, the capabilities.”

During a June 16 summit in Geneva between Mr Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the US President shared a list of critical infrastructure the US considers off-limits to nation-state actors.

In his speech this week, Mr Biden, 78, also highlighted the ever-growing military power of China.

He referred to Chinese President Xi Jinping as “deadly earnest about becoming the most powerful military force in the world, as well as the largest and most prominent economy in the world by the mid-40s, the 2040s.”

Recent tensions between Washington and Beijing have largely centred in the South China Sea.

Meanwhile, diplomatic rows have also ignited over China’s bid to strangle control over neighbouring Taiwan and Hong Kong.

China continues to increase its military activity in the South China Sea and has set up bases for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on the disputed Paracel Islands.

Beijing has warned the US cannot compete against its naval firepower in the region.

The Global Times editorial said: “The US cannot beat China at China’s doorstep.

“This must become the reality in the region and the common expectation of regional countries.

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“China will not engage in an all-out arms race with the US, but in China’s coastal waters, we need to be determined to outcompete the US in terms of military capability. China has sufficient potential to achieve this goal.”

It added: “We need to convince the world in the near future that China is not going to provoke the US.

“But if the US comes to fight China in the Taiwan Straits or in the South China Sea, the PLA will have sufficient capacity to beat the hell out of them.”
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