Rubio: ‘We’re Not Trying to Constrain China, But Their Rise Cannot Come at Our Expense’

During an interview with Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity aboard Air Force One that aired on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the Trump administration’s view of China as a threat and an emerging world power.

Rubio said it was not the United States’ intent to “constrain” the Chinese government, but added its so-called “rise” could not come at the expense of the United States.

“[W]hat is your read on President Xi?” host Sean Hannity asked. “I mean, you read that their economy is struggling. You read that he’s isolated. You read both Putin and President Xi have a pretty high degree of paranoia. What is your read as you look at President Xi from a distance going into the meeting?”

Rubio replied, “Yeah, I think my read has been what I think it has been for a while, and that is China has a plan. I mean, they clearly view themselves — they believe they will be the world’s most powerful country, they’ll surpass the United States, and they have a plan to do it, and they’re executing on that plan. And I don’t blame them. If I were the Chinese government, I’d have the same plan. We, on the other hand, don’t view it that way, and we don’t want to see anything — we’re not trying to constrain China, but their rise cannot come at our expense. Their rise cannot come at our fall. So there’s an area where we’re just going to have a difference of opinion.”

“But my view of them and of the government in China is they’re very confident, they have a plan, and they’re trying to execute on that plan, which is fine,” he added. “I understand that from a nation-state perspective. But when that plan is in conflict with the national interest of the United States, we need to do what’s right for the United States. And that’ll come up on this trip, but more importantly, that’ll be a feature of this relationship for a long time.”

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