Former Vice President Joe Biden's dismissal of China as a threat to the United States was deemed "stunningly out of touch" by Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, a fellow 2020 Democrat primary candidate.
"I actually think that's stunning," Rep. Ryan told CNN's "Van Jones Show." "And I love Joe Biden. But I think that's stunningly out of touch with where we are right now."
Ryan was responding to host Van Jones question for his take on Biden's China comments that was critical of President Donald Trump's tough trade talks: "China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man . . . Guess what? They're not competition for us."
"They are on the move," Ryan told Jones. "They are dominating electric vehicles. They're dominating solar.
"They're putting billions of dollars behind these projects, and they have a 100-year plan, Van. We're in a 24-hour news cycle – and they're winning. That's the urgency that I'm bringing to this race."
Unlike Biden, Ryan says China is critical to U.S. growth.
"I think it's going to be about, who's the president that's going to allow us and help us dominate electric vehicles?" Ryan added. "Who's going to steer that investment in the communities of color, into the Youngstown, Ohios, and Akron, Ohios, and Gary, Indianas, of the world that have been unplugged from any benefits of globalization for the last 30 or 40 years?"
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