US President Joe Biden judged yesterday Thursday that the situation in China, a competitor of the US in various fields, is a “ticking time bomb”, referring to the problems of its economy and the aging of its workforce.

“China is a ticking time bomb from several perspectives,” he said during a trip to the state of Utah (west).

The octogenarian Democrat, who will seek re-election in 2024, explained that China has high unemployment and an aging workforce. Because of these elements, “China is in trouble,” he added.

For him, this is cause for concern, as “when bad people have problems, they do bad things”.

In late June, the US president caused irritation in Beijing when he labeled his counterpart Xi Jinping a “dictator”. This comment was taken as a “provocation” by Chinese diplomacy.

Yesterday Thursday, Mr. Biden assured once again that he wants Washington to have a “reasonable relationship” with Beijing. “I don’t want any harm to come to China, but I’m watching.”

His administration has recently resumed high-level contacts with China, with a series of visits by top officials to Beijing, starting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

The specific trip was intended for the two sides to turn the page on the most recent episode that raised the tension between them to the skies, the case of the Chinese hot air balloon that the US called “spy” and sent an F-22 fighter to shoot it down in February.