US approaching China from position of patience, not in hurry: White House

The Biden administration is approaching China from the position of patience and is not in a hurry, the White House has said.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference on Friday that the relationship with China is one based on steep competition.

"We have been publicly and privately expressing our growing concerns about China's aggression towards Taiwan. China has taken increasingly coercive action to undercut democracy in Taiwan. We've seen a concerning increase in PRC military activity in the Taiwan Strait, which we believe is potentially destabilising," she said.

"We are approaching this from a position of patience; we're not in a hurry. We are working to strengthen our conditions at home, better support our workforce, ensure that we are approaching the relationship from a position of strength," Psaki said.

The US is watching Chinese military exercise near Taiwan closely.

"What we can control is how we approach our relationship with China. We see it as one that is about competition, not about conflict. Our focus is also on approaching the relationship from a position of strength. So that includes rebuilding, investing in our workforce at home," she said.

"Things like infrastructure investment, ensuring we have broadband access across our country, certainly fit into that category. Also, working very closely with our partners and allies in the region and also across Europe," she said in response to a question.

The Pentagon said that it is concerned by the Chinese military activities in the South China Sea.

"We remain concerned by the amassing of Chinese maritime militia vessels in the Union Bank area of the South China Sea. And China's efforts to impede the lawful rights of our treaty ally, the Philippines. The US stands by our ally and we remain firmly committed to preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific that is rooted in international law as reflected in the law of the sea convention," Pentagon Spokesperson John Kirby said.

"In support of our long-standing commitment to freedom of the seas and to regional security as well, the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the USS Makin Island Amphibious Readiness Group are undertaking high-end training and operations in the South China Sea this week," he said.

Kirby said the United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows and they "will support the rights of all nations to do the same. This is not going to change".

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