Biden’s State of the Union address led to quarrels, Republicans denounced ＂liars＂ and Congress staged a ＂scuffle＂!

　　[Special correspondent of Global Times in the United States and Germany Li Zhun Aoki Global Times reporter Guo Yuandan] Applause, booing and shouting … … On the evening of the 7th local time, US President Biden delivered his second State of the Union address in Congress. In his speech, he tried his best to show his achievements in his two years in office, while criticizing Republicans for obstructing his economic agenda, which was angrily countered by Republican lawmakers present, and "chaos broke out at the scene." Many media noticed that foreign policy was not the focus of Biden’s State of the Union address, but he still mentioned China many times in his speech. Biden reiterated his so-called "seeking competition with China, not conflict", saying that the interests of the United States will cooperate with China, but "if China threatens our sovereignty, we will take action". In this regard, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on the 8th that China has always believed that Sino-US relations are not a zero-sum game in which you lose and I win, and the success of China and the United States is an opportunity rather than a challenge to each other. The vast earth can fully accommodate the respective development and common prosperity of China and the United States. "China does not shy away from or fear competition, but it opposes defining the entire Sino-US relationship by competition. Under the banner of competition, it is not what a responsible country does to smear a country, restrict the legitimate development rights of other countries, and even damage the global industrial chain supply chain. "

　　"Republicans howled angrily" and "manners disappeared"

　　"In his 73-minute speech, Biden tried to describe a country that has improved significantly since he became president two years ago: from economic downturn to economic prosperity; From a country that is lame and tired of epidemics to a country that is reopened. " The Associated Press said that Biden hoped to reassure Americans who were troubled by pessimism and political differences, and urged Congress to cooperate with him to "complete the work of rebuilding the economy and uniting the country".

　　CNN said that in the first 45 minutes of Biden’s speech, acting like an adult seemed to be the common strategy of the democratic and Republican parties present. But when Biden accused Republicans of "trying to cut social security and medical insurance programs," "etiquette disappeared." According to the report, Biden’s speech caused dissatisfaction among Republicans, and chaos broke out at the scene. Republicans booed, and Republican congresswoman Marjory Taylor Green shouted "liar" at Biden. This scene was recorded by many media.

　　The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said that Biden called for bipartisan cooperation in his speech to complete his economic agenda, but when talking about the White House asking Congress to raise the government’s debt ceiling, he "provoked a dispute" and "everything collapsed". Biden accused "a few Republicans" of coercing the government in the name of economy, in fact, he hoped to cut the expenditure on medical insurance and social security in the United States. "At this time, Mr. McCarthy, Speaker of the House of Representatives, frowned and Republicans howled angrily."

　　According to reports, earlier on the 7th, McCarthy warned his Republican colleagues to remain silent during Biden’s speech and abide by congressional etiquette. "Facts have proved that this is a futile effort — — And clearly shows the partisan hatred that runs through this session of the US Congress. " The BBC said. Washington post said on the 8th that 14 years ago, a Republican Congressman shouted "You are a liar" to Obama in Congress, which seemed to have crossed the bottom line. Now, Green does the same thing. "Tuesday’s speech marks that the trend of partisan struggle continues in this state of the union address, which is regarded as old-fashioned."

　　Biden’s reaction is also quite dramatic. CNN said that Biden’s accusation angered Republicans, who accused him of being a "liar". "This in itself is not unprecedented. What happened next was even rarer: Biden responded off the script and engaged in verbal confrontation with opponents. This surprised the White House officials. " German news TV said on the 8 th that the confident Biden switched to "attack mode", which was very belligerent. The New York Times commented that "Biden seems to like this melee" and "this seems to be the beginning of his re-election campaign".

　　The Wall Street Journal concluded on the 8th that Biden did not put forward a comprehensive new policy agenda in his State of the Union address. He stressed the need to make persistent efforts on the basis of the work so far and put forward some economic suggestions. This practice reflects the change in the power of Congress. Republicans in the House of Representatives are strongly opposing most of Biden’s proposed agenda and investigating his presidential duties and his family. The deadline for raising the US debt ceiling is approaching, and Biden and Republicans still have differences on this issue. The New York Times said directly that Biden’s domestic legislative agenda had almost come to an end under the background that Republicans controlled the House of Representatives.

　　Former US President Trump launched an attack on Biden on the 7th. According to the The Hill report, after Biden’s speech, Trump published his own version of "State of the Union Address". In this two-minute speech, he severely criticized Biden’s economic and immigration policies, saying that "I am running for president to end the destruction of our country and complete the unfinished business of making America great again." On the same day, Arkansas Governor Sanders responded to Biden’s speech on behalf of the Republican Party. "Biden lied to you," she said. "The Biden administration seems to be more interested in daydreaming than the harsh reality that Americans face every day."

　　China was mentioned many times in the speech.

　　"There is a saying that Americans only care about foreign policy when American soldiers die overseas. At least in this speech, Biden seems to keep this in mind. " The BBC said that Biden’s speech was almost entirely focused on domestic issues. He paid little attention to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and made no mention of the strong earthquakes in Syria and Turkey and the resulting humanitarian crisis.

　　However, when demonstrating his achievements, Biden repeatedly "benchmarked" China and played up the competition with China. "Before I took office, the story was about how China strengthened its strength and how the United States failed in the world. It won’t happen again. " Biden said, "(We) invest in innovation in the United States, invest in industries that will determine the future, and invest in industries that China intends to dominate." He also said: "Today, we are in the most advantageous position to compete with China or other countries in the world for decades. I will work to cooperate with China in areas that can promote US interests and benefit the world. " "Let’s be clear: winning the competition with China should unite all of us."

　　Regarding Sino-US relations, Biden claimed that he had made it clear to China that the United States "seeks competition, not conflict". The BBC said that although "China Balloon" was the big news in the United States last weekend, Biden only said one sentence at the end of his speech. "As we made it clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will take action to protect our country," he said. We did it. "

　　Russia’s "Viewpoint" reported on the 8th that Biden did not mention Russia once in his State of the Union address, but mentioned Russian President Vladimir Putin four times. National Public Radio (NPR) said: "In 2022, Ukraine is the battle slogan in Biden’s State of the Union address. But in 2023, not so much. " In his State of the Union speech a year ago, Biden severely criticized Russia almost from the beginning. But this year, it took him more than an hour to talk about the war. "One year after the conflict in Ukraine, Biden’s message and its acceptance in Congress have changed."

　　"Why did China refuse Austin’s call request? The US knows it well."

　　CNN believes that Biden’s "dramatic warning" to China in his State of the Union address is related to the tense political atmosphere of the two parties in the United States around the "China Balloon" incident. On the 7th, various agencies of the US government continued to release all kinds of information. The US Department of Defense said that on February 4th, when the US shot down the China balloon, US Defense Secretary Austin made a call request to China’s Defense Minister, but it was rejected by the Chinese side. On the 7th, the US military also released photos of the scene of salvaging the "China balloon". The State Council officials in the United States said that American officials recently briefed diplomats from 40 countries on the "China Balloon" incident and related investigations in Washington and Beijing. "I hope that the US will explain the situation to other countries based on objective facts." Mao Ning responded on the 8th.

　　Zhuo Hua, an expert on international issues at the School of International Studies of Beijing Foreign Studies University, said in an interview with the Global Times on the 8th that the United States knows well why China’s defense chief refused Austin’s call request. China’s civilian airship flew out of control over North America due to force majeure, but it was artificially instigated into a thorny diplomatic incident due to the hostility towards China and domestic political struggle of some people in American politics, which was an absurd farce in itself. However, the US military has the most advanced intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance system in the world, and has the most sufficient information. Obviously, it is the most aware of the harmless nature of this out-of-control civil airship, but it is willing to fall into the domestic political struggle in the United States and use force to shoot down civil aircraft. This is an irrational behavior that does not conform to international norms. While the US military shouted the slogan of "responsibly controlling the relations between the two countries and the two armies" through the media, it took irresponsible and reckless actions against China, trying to please the forces hostile to China in the United States, and at the same time trying to clear its responsibilities in front of China. China certainly cannot accept this kind of irresponsible behavior.

　　On the afternoon of the 7th EDT, the Chargé d ‘affaires of the Chinese Embassy in the United States, Xu Xueyuan, was ordered to make solemn representations to the State Council and senior officials of the White House National Security Council on the US military attack on China’s civilian unmanned airship. Xu Xueyuan pointed out that China firmly opposes and strongly protests against the use of force by the US to attack airships. We urge the US not to take further actions that may lead to escalation and complication. China reserves the right to make further necessary responses.