Introducing his new foreign policy and national security team, the Democratic former vice president signalled that he intends to steer the US away from the unilateralist "America First" agenda pursued by Trump.
The Republican incumbent has unsettled many US allies, especially in Europe, with an antagonistic approach toward the NATO alliance and trade relations, abandonment of international agreements and warm relationships with authoritarian leaders.
"While this team has unmatched experience and accomplishments, they also reflect the idea that we cannot meet these challenges with old thinking and unchanged habits," said Biden, due to take office on January 20.
"It's a team that reflects the fact that America is back - ready to lead the world, not retreat from it," Biden said at the event in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.
Biden has tapped Antony Blinken to be US secretary of state, Jake Sullivan as national security adviser, Linda Thomas-Greenfield as US ambassador to the United Nations, Alejandro Mayorkas as secretary of homeland security and John Kerry as envoy on climate-related issues.
US foreign policy under a Biden administration is likely to focus on more of a multilateral and diplomatic approach aimed at repairing Washington's relationships with key US allies and taking new paths on issues like climate change.
Biden said had been struck in calls with world leaders "by how much they're looking forward to the United States reasserting its historic role as a global leader over the Pacific, as well as the Atlantic, all across the world."
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris added, "We will need to reassemble and renew America's alliances, rebuild and strengthen the national security and foreign policy institutions that keep us safe, and advance our nation's interests, and confront and combat the existential threat of climate change that endangers us all."
"I want to say to you," Thomas-Greenfield said, "America is back. Multilateralism is back. Diplomacy is back"
Biden has been moving swiftly to assemble his team and make Cabinet choices after defeating Trump in the November 3 election. Trump has waged a flailing legal battle to try to overturn the results, falsely claiming that the election was stolen from him.
Trump has said he will never concede the election but after weeks of limbo his administration on Monday finally gave the green light for the formal transfer of power to begin.
That process had been held up despite Biden emerging as the clear winner and world leaders recognising him as the next president.
Monday's announcement meant the Biden team qualifies for $US6.3 million ($NZ9 million) in funds and among other things can officially coordinate with the 17 agencies that are part of US intelligence gathering, according to the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service.
The Biden team also gets access to federal office space, secure facilities for intelligence briefings and the succession plans for executive agencies. In addition, the State Department typically supports a transition team's discussions with foreign leaders.
One of the first departments that Biden's team reached out to was the Pentagon, underscoring the importance of emphasising national security during the transition. Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper on November 9.
In a small but symbolic move hours after the transition announcement on Monday night, Biden opened a ".gov" website available only to government agencies for his transition, launching buildbackbetter.gov.
Critics have said Trump's refusal to accept the results and approve the transition of power to Biden undermined US democracy and undercut the incoming administration's ability to combat the intensifying coronavirus pandemic that has killed about 258,000 Americans and left millions more without jobs.
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China will be rubbing their hands in glee!
Biden is on record stating "China isn't going to eat our lunch", his son is fully entangled with China and Joe isn't the sharpest tool in box...What a gift to communist China!
So stand by for a more aggressive China. Look out Hong Kong, Taiwan and anyone who thinks the South China Sea are international waters. China have nothing to fear, now that Trump is out of the picture.
“ While this team has unmatched experience and accomplishments, they also reflect the idea that we cannot meet these challenges with old thinking and unchanged habits,"
They are not capable of new thinking. All he has done is clone the Obama team and left Hillary out.
Biden backed the invasion of Iraq, supporting reports of WMD that never eventuated but gave us ISIS and refugees. He created laws to incarcerate tens of thousands for minor drug offences and Harris actioned them with gusto. He supported a deal with Iran, a nation run by tyrannical, religious zealots that have pledged to wipe Israel off the earth. He facilitated the export of millions of US jobs to China, including its medical and pharmaceutical supply chain.
To run his campaign, he accepted hundreds of millions from massive vested interests that will want a return for their investments which he has already stared to do by excluding the grassroots Dem supporters that actually worked on his campaign.
To expect new thinking from this lot is like repeating the same actions while expecting a different result.
If Biden ‘normalises’ relations with China after it exported COVID to the world, we are all suffer.