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2/2 © Reuters. 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 2/2 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.”