Kurt Campbell
Appearances
3 Takeaways
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can. (#250)
But this is the birthplace in many respects of American strategic purpose. Our commitment to peace and stability in Central Europe is what first brought brought us to being a global power. And for them to do this, we have to interpret it not just as a threat to Europe, but frankly, a threat to the United States as well.
3 Takeaways
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can. (#250)
I'll do one and let Rush do the other two. I think the most important argument here is not to underestimate China in this highly dynamic period. Rush, over to you for the last two.
3 Takeaways
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can. (#250)
On critical metrics, China has already outmatched the United States. Economically, it boasts twice the manufacturing capacity. Technologically, it dominates everything from electric vehicles to fourth generation nuclear reactors, and now produces more active patents and top cited scientific publications annually. Militarily,
3 Takeaways
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can. (#250)
Real pleasure. Thanks very much, Lynn. Thank you, Lynn.
3 Takeaways
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can. (#250)
Rush, why don't you lead on that?
3 Takeaways
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can. (#250)
It features the world's largest Navy bolstered by shipbuilding capacity 200 times as large as that of the United States, vastly greater missile stocks and the world's most advanced hypersonic capabilities. All results of the fastest military modernization in history. Even if China's growth slows and its system falters, it will remain formidable strategically.
3 Takeaways
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can. (#250)
If I could just add to that, Lynn, just one quick thing. I really like the way Rush put it. And I think the one pillar that, frankly, is more open to interpretation and questioning in this particular arena is the one associated with population dynamics. The truth is, we do not know how both the combination of AI and robotics
3 Takeaways
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can. (#250)
will have an impact on the economy in ways that perhaps reduces the ultimate premium put on younger workers historically that has driven dynamics associated with growth and productivity. And so what Rush and I have seen in the debate China is demonstrating some weakness in either growth or structural challenges. But in reality, we tend to overestimate and put too much emphasis on a few dynamics.
3 Takeaways
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can. (#250)
And so I would say that the focus on China as an aging society tends to get more focus and critical consideration than other dynamics of the kind that Rush just listed, which are investments that have been made that are going to have longstanding significance on the military manufacturing and technological frontiers.
3 Takeaways
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can. (#250)
Let me just say that the US military remains the gold standard. We have tremendous operational capacity. The United States over the course of the last 40 years has been in conflict in many domains on a number of occasions, and there is nothing like
3 Takeaways
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can. (#250)
frankly, in the operational military realm, nothing like experience to ensure that best practices and evolution more generally, where China really has not fought in any fundamental way and seen shots fired in anger since really along the Vietnamese border in 1979, 1980. That's a long time. And so there are clear advantages that come with being forward deployed and engaged.
3 Takeaways
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can. (#250)
We have areas of remarkable, I would say, close to dominance, the quieting of our submarines, our submarine capacity. We have some aerospace, satellite, other arenas of information dominance that continue to be decisive.
3 Takeaways
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can. (#250)
But in terms of the size of the military, the size of what we would describe as expeditionary forces and capabilities, air and naval forces, China's made incredible investments here. And they are being manifested in the air and waters of Asia more generally. And so China still remains in many critical vectors behind us. But their size pose long term looming challenges to the United States.
3 Takeaways
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can. (#250)
I would just say, Lynn, on the nature of sort of China's relations with these group of nations that are challenging global order, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, it is one of the most troubling developments we've seen in recent years. But the thing that Rush pointed to in Europe is the one that should trouble us the most.
3 Takeaways
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can. (#250)
If you look historically at some of the guiding principles of Chinese foreign policy, one of the most important which they have championed for decades is the notion of the critical importance of national territory and existing territorial lines of jurisdiction. And they have been resolute about that in various crises in Africa and Southeast Asia over decades. I think what Rush points to is that
3 Takeaways
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can. (#250)
This is on the part of Russia, a full on assault, not just at Ukraine, but the existing drawn boundaries that have animated decades of stability in Europe. And what essentially has happened is that China has allied itself in ways
3 Takeaways
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can. (#250)
You know, they've tried to do some of this secretly, but has enabled Russia to go directly at those lines that have been broadly accepted by all global powers, except perhaps for Russia. Now, China, I think, explains it to itself. You saw inadvertently the remarks of the Chinese ambassador to France in 2023, in which he basically indicated
3 Takeaways
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can. (#250)
that the territorial lines that were drawn or accepted during the confusion of the post-Cold War environment do not have the same clarity or historical significance than other territorial lines. And of course, he was quickly you know, kind of not reprimanded, but sort of like speaking so clearly on these matters can sometimes be good for your career and sometimes not so much for him, not so much.