【By Guo Jian, Observer News】

"I do believe we cannot let China take the crown jewel." In a recent conversation hosted by the Wall Street Journal, former U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper openly revealed his deeply rooted mindset of great power confrontation, urging American businesses and decision-makers to focus on reducing supply chain risks and protecting intellectual property, maintaining an absolute competitive advantage over China in high-tech industries such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence.

According to the video released by the Wall Street Journal on November 12, the host first mentioned the impact of the meeting between the leaders of China and the United States on their economic relations. Esper believed that the agreement reached a few weeks ago between the Trump administration and China was an achievement. He said that focusing on China during the first term of the Trump administration was the right approach, and the attention to trade and trade imbalances continued into the second term of the Trump administration.

Esper stated that in his memoir, he wrote that China is "the greatest strategic threat the United States faces in this century," more dangerous and complex than the Soviet Union in many ways. The reason for this belief is because China has a very strong economy, is the world's second-largest economy, and also has a quite powerful technology industry.

Esper attending the Wall Street Journal dialogue

He said that the U.S. must develop a comprehensive response plan and cooperate with global allies, or else it would lose the competition with China.

"We don't want the future to be dictated by China, setting norms and standards; we don't want to live in that world."

He resorted to the cliché of "U.S. leadership of the free world," repeatedly mentioning the need to gain support from allies and partners in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to counter China.

In the eyes of this former defense minister, China is taking measures to prepare for "decoupling," such as developing electric vehicles and even leading solar technologies, which he said are not commercial strategies but rather to release more energy supplies.

He said that although "decoupling" is impossible, it still needs careful consideration.

"I do believe we cannot let China take the crown jewel," Esper bluntly stated, "whether it's the most advanced semiconductor products or some other technologies, we cannot let them master it - I also include artificial intelligence technology in this category, we must maintain our advantage over them."

He also said that the U.S. needs to ensure there are alternative options for the supply chain, ensuring the supply chain is reliable, or through allies and partners, or even directly moving back to the U.S.

When the host mentioned that the Trump administration had relaxed certain export controls on advanced technologies to China, Esper expressed opposition.

"I don't recommend doing so; we must win, and we must lead in the technological field," he said. These issues are related to artificial intelligence, the U.S. leads in algorithms and hardware, but China has accumulated a large amount of data.

"Once artificial intelligence is combined with robotics, you have autonomy, which can indeed change the situation. It's not just about war, but also changes the nature of war, as well as the economic structure and culture."

"We must ensure we stay ahead of China, especially all these valuable technologies. If you are a tech company, you must protect your intellectual property."

Esper was appointed as the U.S. Secretary of Defense in June 2019 by Trump and was removed from office in November 2020. This person holds a hardline stance towards China, advocating the "great power competition" strategy. After leaving office, he has repeatedly spoken out on issues concerning China, even openly visiting Taiwan and saying that it's time for the U.S. to reexamine the one-China policy.

Esper-like American former government officials with an unquenchable desire to contain China are not isolated cases.

For example, this year, Campbell, who previously served as the coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs at the Biden administration's National Security Council and Deputy Secretary of State, has repeatedly hyped up the topic of Sino-U.S. competition.

In April this year, he published a joint article on the website of the U.S. journal Foreign Affairs, warning the Trump administration not to "underestimate China," while calling on the U.S. to rally allies and build a "new alliance" to counter China's challenges.

The article stated that the current perception of China by the U.S. has shifted from one extreme to another, from a pessimistic view that China would surpass the U.S., to excessive confidence that China could never surpass the "rising U.S.," which could dangerously underestimate the strength of a competitor that has exceeded 70% of the U.S. GDP for a century.

"China is a hard-core player (powerful player), and will remain so for several decades, with a massive military force and significant investments in invention and robotics technology," Campbell said. "China will be, and continue to be, a dominant participant."

Despite repeated attempts by the U.S. to hype up Sino-U.S. competition and promote the so-called challenges and "threats" posed by China, the Chinese side has repeatedly emphasized that highlighting competition is harmful and that seeking cooperation is essential, not optional.

In July this year, Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo in Kuala Lumpur. When Wang Yi gave an interview to Chinese media, he said that if viewed from the perspective of historical development and the overall human perspective, the two major countries, China and the U.S., indeed have extensive common interests and broad space for cooperation. Both sides have the responsibility and the possibility to find a correct way for the two countries to coexist on this planet in the new era. This will be a blessing for the people of the two countries and what the world hopes for.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7572091069488185908/

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