Parliamentarians in Canada found Biden’s blunder humorous.
On Friday, President Biden was complimenting a country for its position on immigration, but he confused China with Canada.
The slip-up occurred during Biden’s address on U.S. immigration policy before the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa.
To seek safety and humanitarian…humanitarian grounds, we are extending legal channels for migration in the United States, while discouraging illicit movement that fuels exploitation and human trafficking, the president said.
Biden fumbled his way through, “So today, I applaud China for stepping out…excuse me, I applaud Canada,” to the amusement of Canadian lawmakers.
You know exactly how I feel…about China. Biden added, “I’m not going to get into it right now. “I commend Canada for expanding its own similar initiatives.”
While Biden did not bring up China again in his speech to Parliament, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did discuss China’s competitive advantage.
Competition is intensifying, notably from a more aggressive China, so “economic policy is climate policy is security policy,” Trudeau said. To develop a North American market on everything from semiconductors to solar panel batteries, it is crucial that we turn to each other today.
The timing of Biden’s speech is particularly relevant given the current state of U.S.-Chinese relations. On Friday, Chinese officials warned of “serious consequences” if the U.S. Navy continued operations in the South China Sea.