Welcome to POTS of the World, I'm Ben Rhodes and this is another special episode in the lead

up to November's election where we're looking at what the stakes are for our foreign policy

and for the entire world in a Harris and Trump matchup.

Now over the last two episodes we talked about the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Today we'll be talking about perhaps the biggest geopolitical competition in the world and one that threatens to turn into

another war. That's the relationship between the United States and China. There is no question that China

has emerged as the biggest competitor to the United States for global influence.

It has the world's second largest economy.

It has made massive investments in clean energy and technologies like artificial intelligence, which will determine the future.

It has rapidly modernized its military and is expanding its nuclear arsenal.

It is building a whole set of institutions like the bricks and the Belt Road Initiative

to challenge the US-led international order and has more influence in America in much of the global south.

And the Chinese Communist Party has an ideology that is in direct competition

with democracy.

Since Xi Jinping took power in 2013, China has become more hostile to the U.S. and its version of the international order.

And China has increased its threats and military presence in flash points, like the Taiwan Strait

in the South China Sea.

Since Donald Trump won the 2016 election, talking

tough on China has become part of American politics and policy for both

political parties. What's going to have and who's going to have higher prices is China and all of the countries that have been ripping us off for years.

I charge, I was the only president ever.

China was paying us hundreds of billions of dollars and

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