Psaki says Biden ‘not seeking conflict with China’ over Huawei swap

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was out on the defensive repeatedly Monday over the Biden administration’s involvement in a prisoner swap between China and Canada over the weekend — with some reporters pressed her on Senate Republicans’ criticism of the release of Huawei’s finance chief.

During the White House’s daily press briefing, Psaki was questioned specifically on how the prisoner swap could incentivize China to seize foreign nationals in the future, as some have accused the Biden administration of appeasing China.

Psaki started off by saying the prisoner swap was independent under the Department of Justice, calling it a “law enforcement” and “legal” matter that would be “inappropriate” for her to comment on further.

“I would note though, because I think there was a lot wrapped up in their criticism there, is that our policy has not changed toward China. We’re not seeking conflict,” she said.

“We are in a relationship of competition, and we’re going to continue to hold the PRC to account for its unfair economic practices, its course of actions around the world and its human rights abuses. And we will continue to do that in partnership with our allies around the world.”

Psaki’s comments come days after two Republican senators slammed the release of Huawei’s finance chief, Meng Wanzhou.

On Saturday, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Tx) told Reuters that the release of Wanzhou “raises serious questions about President Biden’s ability and willingness to confront the threat posed by Huawei and the Chinese Communist Party.”

“We have already seen how the administration’s single-minded focus on climate is causing them to downplay genocide. This is just another example of the Biden Administration’s dangerously soft approach toward Beijing,” he added.

Sen. Bill Hagerty (... (Read more)

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