Mitt Romney

Our strategy is invest and align and compete.

China is a disappointment for those of us who followed the Second World War and then followed the collapse of the Soviet Union.

If we don't deal with that, we won't have the resources to be able to deal with emerging crises as they develop as a result of climate change.

I think perhaps Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) would be the committee that would be focused on this more than Budget.

As you all probably know, my state is one of those that has been experiencing a great deal of drought.

We are looking to do the same thing here but we have not seen anything of that nature yet.

Its ambition is to lead the world, dominate the world militarily, economically, geopolitically.

I guess I am concerned that as we go potentially from one Administration to the next... that we have a strategy that lasts.

China is a disappointment for those of us who followed the Second World War and then followed the collapse of the Soviet Union.

To say--look, our strategy is invest and align and compete. Sounds great.

I would have immediately pardoned him. I'd have pardoned President Trump. Why? Well, because it makes me, President Biden, the big guy and the person I pardoned a little guy.

But I would note China invests in things that are going to help China down the road.

I am confident in our standing in these regions and what we offer.

I appreciate the fact that you have given me a heads up on this already today privately that we are going to make progress on the demonstration of the U.S. strategy vis-a-vis China, and again, its intent is to not confront but to help…

It is important to have a strategy that goes beyond words.

I would think that China's calculation about action of a hostile nature against Taiwan would encompass not just military might but also the response diplomatically of nations around the world, but also economic impact.

I am actually thinking about some of the more direct economic impact, for instance, anticipating that China relies on Taiwan, for instance, for semiconductor needs of various kinds.

I, for one, was surprised to see their treatment of Australia, for instance, and wondered how that could possibly be in their interest to offend a nation in their region as they did, obviously, a nation with which we have a close…

They have done a number of things which have weakened, from my perspective, their ties with those nations.

We stand for peace, stability----

But what are the other dimensions do you think of that key strategy?

My assessment is that there have been nations that have severed relations with Taiwan but have not gone the other way.

It would seem that they are succeeding in that effort, and we are probably not being quite as effective.

Some weeks ago I asked Taiwan's representative to the United States, what was the single most important thing we could do to convince China that it would be unwise to consider a military action of invasion against Taiwan, and the…

I think it sends a signal to would be aggressors around the world of all kinds that we will stand by our commitments and that we honor and respect the rights of democratic people to retain their freedoms and their vision for their own…