Biden: Democratic nations in a race to compete with autocratic governments

NEWQUAY, England (Reuters) - Western democracies are in a race to compete with autocratic governments, U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sunday.

"We're in a contest, not with China per se, ... with autocrats, autocratic governments around the world, as to whether or not democracies can compete with them in a rapidly changing 21st century," Biden told a news conference at the conclusion of a Group of Seven leaders' summit in Britain.

On China specifically, Biden said: "I think you're gonna see just straightforward dealing with China.

"As I've told Xi Jinping myself, I'm not looking for conflict. Where we cooperate, we'll cooperate; where we disagree I'm going to state this frankly, and we are going to respond to actions that are inconsistent."

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Guy Faulconbridge, writing by William James; Editing by Kate Holton and Elizabeth Piper)

U.S. President Joe Biden holds a news conference at the end of the G7 summit, at Cornwall Airport Newquay, Britain, June 13, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference at the end of the G7 summit, at Cornwall Airport Newquay, Britain, June 13, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

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