America is back, says Joe Biden; presents foreign & security team

Xi Jinping sends congratulatory note; says wants no conflict, no confrontation

President-elect Joe Biden said on Tuesday the United States will be “ready to lead” again on the global stage, turning the page on Republican President Donald Trump's “America first” policies as he pledged to work together with the nation’s allies.

Introducing his foreign policy and national security team, the Democratic former vice-president signaled he intended after taking office on January 20 to steer the United States away from the unilateralist nationalism pursued by Trump.

Biden also signaled that two former, more liberal, rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, were not under consideration for Cabinet appointments, saying he needed their votes in the closely divided Senate. Trump over four years unsettled many US allies, in Europe and elsewhere, with an antagonistic approach toward the NATO alliance and trade relations, abandonment of international agreements and warm relationships with authoritarian leaders.

Biden said his team, which includes trusted aide Antony Blinken as his nominee for US secretary of state, would shed what the president-elect described as “old thinking and unchanged habits” in its approach to foreign relations.
 

“It's a team that reflects the fact that America is back, ready to lead the world, not retreat from it, once again sit at the head of the table, ready to confront our adversaries and not reject our allies, ready to stand up for our values,” Biden said. 

Xi congratulates Biden

China’s President Xi Jinping broke his silence on Joe Biden’s election victory, sending him a message that he hopes to “manage differences” and focus on cooperation between the world’s two largest economies. The congratulatory note said China wants to advance a “healthy and stable” relationship and uphold the principles of “no conflict” and “no confrontation.”

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