'That was how they viewed the world for thousands of years and that is how they view it today'
China ultimately wants to have a unipolar world wherein every country is some sort of a tributary to it, a top American National Security Advisor has said, asserting that nations across the globe are starting to realise what Washington is up against with Beijing.
US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said the world was slowly entering into a multipolar situation.
"They want to have a P-2 instead of P-5. I don't think we're going to have a bipolar situation in the world right now. I think we're slowly entering into a multipolar situation. Ultimately, the Chinese would like to have a unipolar situation where having every other country as some sort of tributary to China," O'Brien said in a recent address to the University of Nevada.
That was how they viewed the world for thousands of years and that is how they view it today, he said, adding that for some time now, the Chinese have been pushing for a bipolar world.
"I think we're standing up to the Chinese. Our allies following us, whether it's Huawei and the UN Germany now coming up, working with Huawei to pump 5G to trust providers. So, I think you can have a situation," he said.
O'Brien said that it was possible that China had overplayed their hand with how they have responded to COVID-19.
"They've overplayed their hand with their data theft and their IP theft. I think countries around the world are starting to realise what we're up against with China. And I think it could eventually have a more isolated China when you have the great democracies of Brazil and India, the European Union and the UK," he said.
There are countries in Africa that are considered close friends of China who have asked US if it would pay off their debt to China, and said if America does that, then they will never do anything with China.
“Now, you know, that's not the president's inclination," he said, adding that the US wants to be responsible with the taxpayer's money.
O'Brien said that there was a global consensus developing on China's malign behaviour.
"So, I'm not sure you'll have a bipolar or …I'm pretty certain you won't have a unipolar world with the Chinese with everything which they'd like. As long as we stay strong, I don't think you'll have a bipolar situation when we split the world between us and China,” he said.
“But I do think you're going to have more of a multipolar world where there are various steps of power, Russia, Europe. I think Africa, … has a tremendous opportunity. And so I think you're going to see a more fluid international system than we had in the past,” he said.
Responding to a question, O'Brien said that the US had advised Taiwan to spend more on defence and build its military.
"The advice we have given our Taiwanese friends is the same advice we've given our European friends, and that is you can't just spend one per cent of your GDP, which the Taiwanese have been doing with 1.2 per cent of your GDP on defence and hope to deter China, which is engaged in the US massive military buildup in 70 years,".
“So the Taiwanese need to undertake the efforts to rebuild their military and to ultimate insert themselves an important way. You know, it's alliance in general …and so Taiwan needs to become a porcupine and we'd get them some suggestions on how they can do that. And ultimate to that, I think, have to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan,” he said.
