Jeffrey Sachs

China, and then on the economic side, let me just reiterate, because I was asked yesterday and there was some surprise, was it good to let China into the WTO? I said, of course. It enriched all of you, by the way. It enriched me. It enriched this country. It enriched the world, including enriching China. That's normal. Economics is not a zero-sum game. We all agree on that.

I believe that security doesn't have to be a zero sum game either. We can stay a little bit away from each other. And China does not spend its time bemoaning America being a Western hemisphere hegemon. They don't. That's not their greatest interest to bring down American power in the Western hemisphere.

I believe that security doesn't have to be a zero sum game either. We can stay a little bit away from each other. And China does not spend its time bemoaning America being a Western hemisphere hegemon. They don't. That's not their greatest interest to bring down American power in the Western hemisphere.

Hold on. Let's let John respond to this.

Hold on. Let's let John respond to this.

Then they behave like us.

Then they behave like us.

It's not my great fear. They have no interest in doing so because they don't want to get blown up either.

It's not my great fear. They have no interest in doing so because they don't want to get blown up either.

I'm sorry, say it again.

I'm sorry, say it again.

Doesn't have military bases there.

Doesn't have military bases there.

I'm all in favor of that. Let's go compete that way. I'm all in favor of that.

I'm all in favor of that. Let's go compete that way. I'm all in favor of that.

Yeah, if you try to prevent them from being a regional hegemon, we're going to end up in World War III because, as you say yourself, that this can absolutely spill over into war. I don't want it to spill over into war on the theory. that maybe someday they behave differently. That's not a good theory for me, that part.

Yeah, if you try to prevent them from being a regional hegemon, we're going to end up in World War III because, as you say yourself, that this can absolutely spill over into war. I don't want it to spill over into war on the theory. that maybe someday they behave differently. That's not a good theory for me, that part.

Okay, let's think of this from an engineering point of view, if we could. Why are the Chinese developing the Navy? Because for 40 years, I've read essays on all of the choke points in China. The South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Indian Ocean against China. That's our policy. Choke points. Look at the Malacca Straits. Look what we can do here. First island chain. This is American strategy.

Okay, let's think of this from an engineering point of view, if we could. Why are the Chinese developing the Navy? Because for 40 years, I've read essays on all of the choke points in China. The South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Indian Ocean against China. That's our policy. Choke points. Look at the Malacca Straits. Look what we can do here. First island chain. This is American strategy.

Can we keep the Chinese submarines out of the Pacific Ocean? First China, first island chain, and so forth. So, of course, they react. They're rich, they're going to build a navy so that they can get their oil on which their economy runs.