“China’s been practically preparing for war with us for
years,” Haley told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” Sunday. “Yes, I
view China as an enemy.”
United States, the former United Nations ambassador said,
needs to make sure that we’re serious about China and they know that we’re
serious about them — not going and being nice to them and thinking that they’re
going to change.
Her comments come while President Joe Biden is in Vietnam
trying to secure stronger diplomatic, military and economic ties with a network
of allies and partners in response to China’s increasingly aggressive military
and economic posture.
On a
separate track, the Biden administration has also pursued more stable ties and
improved communication with Beijing over the last year, with a series of top
Cabinet secretaries making the trip to China’s capital in just the last few
months.
“How
much more has to happen for Biden to realize you don’t send Cabinet members
over to China to appease them; you start getting serious with China and say, We’re
not going to put up with it,” Haley said Sunday.
“They keep sending different Cabinet officials over, Jake,
and it’s embarrassing,” she added.
Detailing
what her own approach would look like, Haley stressed the importance of cutting
off China’s access to US oil, combating Chinese infiltration in American
universities, and ending all normal trade relations until the flow of fentanyl
to the US is stopped.
“And then we’re going to build up our military, because
China now has the strongest naval fleet in the world,” Haley said.
