 "Joe Biden")
Outlining his foreign policy priorities, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has said that, if elected in the November elections, he will be a president who would stand with US' allies and friends and not cosy up to dictators.
He also assured Americans that he would not leave them at the mercy of China to protect them from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biden, 77, officially accepted the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party on the last day of the four-day virtual Democratic National Convention on Thursday night.
"I take very personally the profound responsibility of serving as Commander in Chief. I will be a president who will stand with our allies and friends. I will make it clear to our adversaries the days of cozying up to dictators are over," Biden said.
As a US senator for several decades and the vice president for eight years under former president Barack Obama, Biden played a key role in shaping the foreign policy of the United States.
He travelled extensively and is known personally to the leaders across the world.
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"Under President Biden, America will not turn a blind eye to Russian bounties on the heads of American soldiers. Nor will I put up with foreign interference in our most sacred democratic exercise voting. I will stand always for our values of human rights and dignity. And I will work in common purpose for a more secure, peaceful, and prosperous world," he said.
The Trump administration has downplayed reports that there were Russian bounties for attacks on American troops. Russia has denied the allegation.
In his acceptance speech, Biden also referred to the controversy surrounding the 2016 US presidential election won by President Donald Trump. The Democrats have alleged that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 election with an aim to harm the campaign of Hillary Clinton, boosting the candidacy of Trump, a Republican.
"History has thrust one more urgent task on us. Will we be the generation that finally wipes the stain of racism from our national character? I believe we're up to it. I believe we're ready. Just a week ago was the Third anniversary of the events in Charlottesville, he said.
Asserting that he will lead the fight against coronavirus from day one, Biden said the US will make the medical supplies and protective equipment the country needs.
"We'll make them here in America. So we will never again be at the mercy of China and other foreign countries in order to protect our own people. We'll make sure our schools have the resources they need to be open, safe, and effective," he said.
The US has the highest coronavirus death toll in the world, with 174,248 deaths recorded, according to Johns Hopkins University. The country also has over five million confirmed cases of the disease.
"We'll put the politics aside and take the muzzle off our experts so the public gets the information they need and deserve. The honest, unvarnished truth. They can deal with that. We'll have a national mandate to wear a mask-not as a burden, but to protect each other. It's a patriotic duty," Biden said.
The former vice president said he will do what should have done from the very beginning.
"Our current president has failed in his most basic duty to this nation. He failed to protect us. He failed to protect America. And, my fellow Americans, that is unforgivable," he said.
"As president, I will make you this promise: I will protect America. I will defend us from every attack. Seen. And unseen. Always. Without exception. Every time. Look, I understand it's hard to have hope right now," he said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
