The US has repeatedly stressed that China is a grave threat to its national security President Joe Biden said that he has told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that the US will maintain a strong military presence in the Indo-Pacific "not to start conflict, but to prevent one," as Beijing made efforts to expand influence in the strategically vital region. In his first speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, Biden said he also told Xi that America welcomes competition but was not looking for conflict. "I told President Xi that we will maintain a strong military presence in the Indo-Pacific just as we do with NATO in Europe, not to start conflict, but to prevent conflict," Biden said.