Joe Biden’s inner sanctum vows to stay firm on China and Iran

Joe Biden’s cabinet nominees have promised the US would stay tough on China but vowed a new era of international co-operation.

Kamala Harris and husband Douglas Emhoff with Joe and Jill Biden during the COVID-19 memorial. Picture: AFP

Joe Biden’s cabinet nominees have promised the US would stay tough on China but vowed a new era of international co-operation after Donald Trump’s divisive “America First” approach.

As Mr Biden prepared to ­become the 46th US president, Antony Blinken, his choice for secretary of state, indicated the new administration would revive agreements with Iran and Russia but described both countries as threats.

“Not one of the big challenges we face can be met by one country acting alone — even one as powerful as the US,” Mr Blinken, a longtime aide to Mr Biden, told his Senate confirmation hearing.

“Together, we are far better ­positioned to counter threats posed by Russia, Iran, and North Korea and to stand up for democracy and human rights.”

Mr Blinken distanced himself from Mr Trump’s needling of allies and denunciations of multilateralism, but said Mr Trump “was right in taking a tougher approach to China”. “I disagree very much with the way he went about it in a number of areas, but the basic principle was the right one.”

National Guard members prepare for the inauguration. Picture: AFP

Mr Blinken has previously ­spoken of finding limited areas for co-operation with China, such as climate change.

Retired general Lloyd Austin, the nominee to be defence secretary, told his hearing that the rising Asian power “constitutes a significant and long-term security threat to the United States and to our allies and partners”. “I believe that because of its ascent and the scope and scale of its military modernisation, China is the top priority,” he said.

In her confirmation hearing, Janet Yellen, Mr Biden’s pick for treasury secretary, vowed to use the “full array of tools” against China of trade and other purported abuses.

The former Federal Reserve chairwoman also made the case for another sweeping economic aid package, saying the Biden ­administration’s top priority was to relieve suffering caused by COVID-19, including providing aid for families, businesses and communities hardest hit by the downturn as well as spending to bring the virus under control.

“We need to make sure that people aren’t going hungry in America, that they can put food on the table, that they’re not losing their homes and ending up out on the street because of evictions,” Ms Yellen said.

Jill and Joe Biden farewell Delaware. Picture: AFP

Mr Blinken, 58, faced friendly questioning even from most ­Republicans at the hearing, indicating he is likely to win quick confirmation in the Senate, where his Democratic Party now controls.

A deputy secretary of state in Barack Obama’s presidency, Mr Blinken promised to return to ­diplomacy including on Iran, where Mr Trump walked out of a nuclear accord and slapped on punishing sanctions.

Mr Biden “believes that if Iran comes back into compliance, we would too,” Mr Blinken said.

European powers remain committed to the 2015 accord, under which Iran drastically scaled down its nuclear work — steps it ­reversed in protest over Mr Trump’s sanctions.

An expanded agreement could address Iran’s “destabilising activities” in the region as well as its missiles, Mr Blinken said.

Mr Blinken said Mr Biden would also move quickly to extend the New START treaty on nuclear reduction, the last arms pact with Russia, which expires on February 5. The Trump administration had unsuccessfully sought to expand New START to bring in China.

In another shift, Mr Blinken said that he would immediately ­review the designation of Yemen’s Huthi rebels as a terrorist group.

“At least on its surface, it seems to achieve nothing particularly practical in advancing the efforts against the Huthis and to bring them back to the negotiating table while making it even more difficult than it already is to provide ­humanitarian assistance to people who desperately need it,” he said.

AFP