Congressional Republicans are pushing back against White House hopeful Joe Biden after the former vice president dismissed the notion that the U.S. should be worried about China as a geopolitical competitor, writes the Washington Post.

“China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man,” said Biden at a campaign stop in Iowa City on Wednesday. Saying Beijing has its hands full dealing with its own domestic and regional problems, Biden said, “guess what? They’re not competition for us.” Republicans including Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah and Rep. Bradley Byrne of Alabama, who is running for Senate, rebuked Biden. “Joe is plain wrong. China is absolutely a threat,” said Byrne in a tweet. A Biden spokesman said the ex-vice president “believes it’s never a good bet to bet against America and the fundamental strength, resilience, and ingenuity of its people.”