US President Joe Biden says he is not concerned about the possibility of a “physical conflict” with China.
"Am I worried about an armed conflict or something happening accidentally with China? No, I'm not," the Democratic leader said at his closing press conference at the COP26 summit in Edinburgh, Scotland
He made the comments amid tensions between Washington and Beijing over a range of issues, including the Chinese Taipei, the South China Sea, cyber security, etc.
The US president asserted that he had made the idea clear to his American counterpart, Xi Jinping.
"There's no reason there need to be conflict. But I've also indicated to him, so I'm not reluctant to say it publicly, that we expect him to play by the rules of the road," Biden said.
The United States and China have in recent months escalated their war of words over the Chinese Taipei.
The US has recently deployed a fleet of B1 bombers and 200 airmen to its notorious base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, the first such deployment to the island in 15 years.
Biden has repeatedly vowed to re-engage with the international community, marking a departure from his predecessor Donald Trump's foreign policy.
In the case of China, however, it appears that he is following in the footsteps of Donald Trump and his America first stance against Beijing.
China considers Taiwan as being a part of its territory, and has warned against any of its independence bids. Tensions escalated recently over Chinese military flights, as well as increased US military support for Taiwan.