US does not want conflict with China: Biden

US President Joe Biden commented that Sweden will soon be seen in NATO, the US-led military alliance. He also said that the United States does not want a conflict with China.

Biden made these comments in a speech given at the US Air Force Academy on Thursday (June 1) local time, Reuters reported.

According to the report, US President Joe Biden attended a ceremony for the graduates of the US Air Force Academy in the state of Colorado on Thursday. There he handed over diplomas to 921 graduating cadets.

The Democratic president warned the graduates in his speech at the ceremony. Citing growing challenges from Russia and China, he said, they are stepping in to serve an increasingly unstable world.

According to Reuters, Joe Biden stumbled on the stage in the middle of the ceremony of the graduates of the US Air Force Academy. Meanwhile, Air Force officials and others rushed to help Biden. Later they helped him stand up.

80-year-old Joe Biden is the oldest president of the United States and is reported to be unharmed in the incident. According to the BBC, President Joe Biden stood for about an hour and a half to shake hands with each of the 921 graduating cadets of the US Air Force Academy. At one point, that incident happened.

Meanwhile, at Thursday's event, President Biden made it clear that the United States will not back down from China's challenge despite the deep tension in the relationship.

He said, "The United States does not want conflict or conflict with China." China and the US should be able to work together where we can solve some of the global challenges like climate.'

At the same time, the United States will stand firm for its own and its partners' interests, he added, "but we are ready for strong competition."

President Biden also emphasized the US support for Ukraine in the war with Russia. "The American people's support for Ukraine will not decrease," he said.

In this event, Biden said that Sweden will soon be seen in the military alliance NATO. In his opening speech on Thursday, he said NATO was strong despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's attempts to undermine the alliance by invading Ukraine.

President Biden said the NATO alliance was strengthened by Finland's recent accession, "and Sweden will join soon." "It will happen (Sweden joining NATO), I promise you," he said, without elaborating.

Earlier, Joe Biden congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by calling him for winning the election again on Monday. The US President told reporters, Erdoğan brought up the issue of buying advanced F-16 fighter jets from the US in a phone conversation.

In response, Biden demanded that Turkey withdraw its objections to Sweden joining NATO. He said Washington wants Ankara to withdraw its objections to Sweden joining NATO.

Last Monday, Biden said, he will talk to President Erdoğa again soon. Next July, NATO's annual summit will be held in Vilnius, Lithuania.

In addition, last Tuesday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken urged Turkey to immediately finalize Sweden's accession to NATO, saying that the country has already taken important steps to deal with Ankara's objections to membership.

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