Condoleezza Rice on China: The US has 'to make sure we don’t stumble into conflict'
Condoleezza Rice warned escalating US-China tensions could end in disaster.
The US-China rivalry is "significant," and "we do have to make sure that we don't stumble into conflict," warned Condoleezza Rice, who served as national security adviser and Secretary of State under former President George W. Bush.
"We have to recognize that this is a rivalry militarily, economically, and a rivalry in terms of technology," Rice told Yahoo Finance at the KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit on Wednesday (video above). "We can't sweep that under the rug."
Rice’s comments come after Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up two days of meetings in Beijing with Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping — a trip intended to find common ground amid escalating tensions.
Disputes over issues including Taiwan, trade, and access to technology have pushed the two sides further away in recent months.
While the State Department described discussions as "candid, substantive, and constructive," China refused to entertain talks of restoring military-to-military communication, despite Blinken raising the issue "repeatedly."
Resuming a direct line of communication with Beijing is a priority for the Biden administration following dangerous near-collision incidents between the US and Chinese militaries. In a speech earlier this month, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stressed that open dialogue with China "is not a reward but a necessity" and that "great powers must be beacons of transparency and responsibility."
"The Chinese are doing things with their military forces, running awfully close to our ships, running close to our aircraft... that's going to end up in disaster," Rice cautioned.
Earlier this month, the US Navy released a video of a Chinese warship coming within 150 yards of a US destroyer in the Taiwan Strait, marking the second time within weeks that the Chinese military engaged in what the US called "unnecessarily aggressive maneuvers."
"Letting China know that we're going to continue to defend the rights of freedom of navigation, but that they shouldn't come so close to our ships. That's a conversation you can only have in person," Rice added. "And I'm sure that Secretary Blinken had that conversation in person."
Seana Smith is an anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow Smith on Twitter @SeanaNSmith. Tips on deals, mergers, activist situations, or anything else? Email seanasmith@yahooinc.com.
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