Updated

President Biden warned that China will "eat our lunch" on Thursday after speaking with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time Wednesday night since becoming president – a sentiment that seemed to contradict some of his statements on the campaign trail.

It came after the president dodged a question Wednesday on whether his administration would punish China over the country's early handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden unveiled plans to review U.S. policy toward Beijing after meeting with Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin and other top military officials at the Pentagon.

FAST FACTS

    • Biden reversed course on past remarks about whether China is going to "eat our lunch" on the world stage
    • Biden has pledged to take a hard stance toward China following years of tense relations between Washington and Beijing
    • Former President Donald Trump repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as the "China virus" during his term in office and accused the country of withholding evidence regarding the outbreak.

After a short press conference, Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked Biden whether he had any interest in punishing China for failing to disclose critical information related to the pandemic’s severity.

"I’m interested in getting all the facts," Biden said in response to the question.

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