Jake Sullivan

I also believe that the Chinese leadership fundamentally is convinced that the United States is in secular decline. And that is because they misjudge a fundamental fact about America, which is our capacity for resilience and reinvention. And so their leadership is fond of saying the East is rising, the West is declining.

I also believe that the Chinese leadership fundamentally is convinced that the United States is in secular decline. And that is because they misjudge a fundamental fact about America, which is our capacity for resilience and reinvention. And so their leadership is fond of saying the East is rising, the West is declining.

And they can point to political turbulence and other challenges the United States surely has. But I don't think they were quite ready for... The moves that we have made from the point of view of manufacturing and innovation, the robustness and resilience of our economy, the extent to which this is the destination people want to come to for investment.

And they can point to political turbulence and other challenges the United States surely has. But I don't think they were quite ready for... The moves that we have made from the point of view of manufacturing and innovation, the robustness and resilience of our economy, the extent to which this is the destination people want to come to for investment.

And they're grappling right now with that reality. But coming back to the fundamental question you're asking, there is a distinct possibility that a domestically weakened China becomes more assertive and aggressive globally. But there is also a possibility that it leads them to adjust towards greater caution, as previous Chinese leaders have done.

And they're grappling right now with that reality. But coming back to the fundamental question you're asking, there is a distinct possibility that a domestically weakened China becomes more assertive and aggressive globally. But there is also a possibility that it leads them to adjust towards greater caution, as previous Chinese leaders have done.

Deng Xiaoping was famous for saying that the fundamental Chinese strategy should be «bide and hide». hide your capabilities and bide your time. And President Xi really broke out of that in a big way.

Deng Xiaoping was famous for saying that the fundamental Chinese strategy should be «bide and hide». hide your capabilities and bide your time. And President Xi really broke out of that in a big way.

Perhaps the result of the challenges that he is confronting will lead to some restoration of that basic mentality for a period, or perhaps it will go in this other direction where nationalism really dictates a much more aggressive and assertive policy. I think...

Perhaps the result of the challenges that he is confronting will lead to some restoration of that basic mentality for a period, or perhaps it will go in this other direction where nationalism really dictates a much more aggressive and assertive policy. I think...

That has yet to be determined, and it will partly be determined by the policy of the United States and the actions of our allies and partners over the course of the coming years.

That has yet to be determined, and it will partly be determined by the policy of the United States and the actions of our allies and partners over the course of the coming years.

Well, I've said this a couple times before, but I think it's a helpful thought experiment. A lot of people say, hey, Russia's doing pretty well in this war. Isn't Putin kind of smart for having invaded Ukraine? Let's imagine in February of 2022 that Joe Biden...

Well, I've said this a couple times before, but I think it's a helpful thought experiment. A lot of people say, hey, Russia's doing pretty well in this war. Isn't Putin kind of smart for having invaded Ukraine? Let's imagine in February of 2022 that Joe Biden...

went on television and told the American people, I'm invading Canada, and I'm going to seize Ottawa in a week and replace the government. It's going to be not a war, but a special military operation, and it'll be done in a few days, and the Canadians will welcome us as liberators.

went on television and told the American people, I'm invading Canada, and I'm going to seize Ottawa in a week and replace the government. It's going to be not a war, but a special military operation, and it'll be done in a few days, and the Canadians will welcome us as liberators.

And three years later, the American army was in the wheat fields of Manitoba, grinding out mile by mile, having lost dead and wounded 600,000 Americans,

And three years later, the American army was in the wheat fields of Manitoba, grinding out mile by mile, having lost dead and wounded 600,000 Americans,

having inflation near 10% and the interest rates near 20% in the United States, having mortgaged our economic future technologically and in terms of our high-tech industrial base, would anybody say, hey, America's doing pretty well there, Joe Biden's a smart guy? Absolutely not. Fundamentally, Russia's strategic objectives in this war have failed. They failed to take Kyiv.

having inflation near 10% and the interest rates near 20% in the United States, having mortgaged our economic future technologically and in terms of our high-tech industrial base, would anybody say, hey, America's doing pretty well there, Joe Biden's a smart guy? Absolutely not. Fundamentally, Russia's strategic objectives in this war have failed. They failed to take Kyiv.