GOP Congressman Labels Biden's Stance On China's Global Aggression As 'Stupid Bet'

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) slammed President Joe Biden’s assumption that China’s global aggression will decline due to domestic issues.

What Happened: In an interview with Fox News, the chairman of the House Select Committee on China vehemently disagreed with President Biden’s perspective that China’s internal struggles will result in less international belligerence. He termed the President’s viewpoint as a “stupid bet.”

"The President has been making that argument. It's a very dangerous argument, the idea that because Xi has domestic economic problems, he's going to become less aggressive abroad. Since he said that initially in Vietnam, Xi has undermined the argument because he's gotten more aggressive."

"All we have done is normalized, an unprecedented tempo of pressure against Taiwan. And if we're wagering the fate of the free world on the fact that Xi has to deal with domestic economic and demographic issues, that's a stupid bet because it's just as likely that Xi could get more aggressive in order to distract from those issues," he added. 

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Why It Matters: Gallagher’s criticism surfaced as President Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in San Francisco on Wednesday. The two leaders agreed to reestablish military communication and tackle the fentanyl crisis in the U.S. Despite these agreements, Biden referred to Xi as a “dictator” while lauding the outcome of the meeting.

This criticism highlights the divergent views within the U.S. over how to engage with China. While President Biden appears to be wagering on China’s domestic issues to curtail its global aggression, others like Gallagher argue that this could be a miscalculation, possibly leading to increased aggression from China.

Photos by lev radin and 360b on shutterstock

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