A Warning From the Wall Street Journal
Rahm Emanuel, writing in the Wall Street Journal, argued that Americans are so caught up in fighting each other that they are blind to the real danger. “The China threat is both real and potent,” he wrote, warning that the United States has “never before been asked to face down a country that has three times our population, is fueled by an advanced economy, and is capable, as its leaders intend, of replacing us atop the global hierarchy.”
Emanuel compared this moment to earlier eras when Americans found unity against a common foe. “Nazism spurred a nation of immigrants to unite in erecting an arsenal of democracy. The ‘evil empire,’ as Ronald Reagan described the Soviet Union, compelled Americans of all stripes to defend the principle of freedom.” But in his view, today’s bitter partisanship has “taken the character of The Hunger Games” and created a vacuum that allows China to “race ahead without raising the appropriate alarms.”
Emanuel argues that China has deliberately exploited America’s internal conflict. After the 2008 financial crisis, Xi Jinping concluded that the American system had lost its shine. He believed American society was “too divided to act with common purposes in the face of a geopolitical challenge.” Emanuel warned that this calculation was correct, writing that “today Mr. Xi understands that President Trump’s division and chaos is working to China’s advantage.”
The lesson is clear: unless the United States regains its sense of purpose and unity, “the question won’t be ‘Who lost China?’ but ‘Who lost to China?’”
China’s Global Power Play
At the same time, Beijing is actively pulling other nations into its orbit. Katrin Bennhold reported from Tianjin that Xi Jinping has used the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to showcase his influence. More than 20 leaders attended the summit, the largest in the group’s history. That list included Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and leaders from U.S. partners like Turkey and Egypt.
As Bennhold explained, “China has summoned the non-Western-aligned world to this event to tell Washington: ‘You are no longer calling the shots.’” Her colleague David Pierson described it as geopolitics “at play in a way that we haven’t seen in a very long time.” With America’s alliances weakened, Xi is seizing the chance to position China as the center of global power.
While Washington hesitates, public opinion is shifting. A Pew Research Center survey released in 2024 found that 42 percent of Americans now see China as an enemy of the United States, up from only 25 percent two years earlier. The study also showed that four out of five Americans view China unfavorably, with 43 percent saying they see the country in a “very unfavorable” light.
“About half of the Americans polled think curbing China’s power and influence should be a top foreign policy priority,” Pew reported. Nearly three out of four respondents agreed that China has grown more influential in recent years, while 61 percent expressed concern about Beijing’s regional disputes with its neighbors.
Republicans and older Americans were found to be the most hawkish. But even many Democrats and independents now admit that China’s role in the world is a threat to U.S. economic and security interests.
Some conservative voices insist they saw this coming. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, in his book Trump vs. China, declared, “We were wrong.” Welcoming China into the World Trade Organization was supposed to open the door to capitalism, but instead it “did not result in a more capitalist China but rather a more communist-pushing WTO community.”
Cheryl Chumley of The Washington Times wrote bluntly, “Communists are communists are communists, and capitalists are capitalists are capitalists, and never the two will meet.” She pointed to Beijing’s military buildup as undeniable evidence of hostility. “China has added 50 new intercontinental ballistic missiles with capabilities of hitting U.S. lands. China has added more than 600 operational nuclear warheads. China has added hundreds of medium- and long-range cruise missiles.” She also cited China’s navy, which already has 370 ships and submarines and is expected to grow to 435 by 2030.
The record of Chinese expansion is long and troubling. “China expands its economic reach into the United States’ backyard,” East Asia Forum reported. It is now the largest trading partner of nine Latin American countries, including Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. China has poured resources into South America and the Caribbean, regions where U.S. influence once went unchallenged.
Beijing has also pushed a “cognitive warfare strategy,” using psychological operations and propaganda to weaken the United States from within. The Federalist summed it up: “China’s military buildup and cognitive warfare strategy are clear indications of its intent to defeat the U.S. and its allies by any means necessary.”
Supporters of the Confrontation View
Those who argue that China is our enemy believe the solution is straightforward. America must rebuild its military strength, protect its technology, and strengthen its alliances. Emanuel insists that the United States should “protect and nurture the qualities that have long made us the shining city on a hill.” He added that “it is never smart to bet against the American people over the long run.”
Conservative writers go even further, demanding an uncompromising “America First” policy. Chumley concluded, “Peace through strength. Keep America great. China is America’s enemy. These are guiding compasses that do not and should not change.”
What Skeptics Still Believe
Not everyone shares this sense of alarm. Some policy experts argue that competition does not necessarily mean war. Harvard professor Graham Allison noted that “the relationship is becoming slightly more stable, even though fundamentally it remains a struggle between competition on the one hand and cooperation on the other.”
Diplomats such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen continue to seek dialogue with Beijing, hoping to manage disputes without escalation. A small minority of Americans, particularly younger voters, still hold favorable views of China.
Despite these lingering voices of doubt, the evidence is overwhelming. China has identified itself as America’s adversary. Its leaders have set out to displace us, undermine our economy, dominate global trade, and challenge our military power. While some Americans still hesitate to recognize this reality, Xi Jinping has already declared the contest.
The United States can either unite around its strengths—free markets, innovation, and national purpose—or it can continue fighting among itself while China marches ahead. As Emanuel warned, “Failing a broad reorientation, the question won’t be ‘Who lost China?’ but ‘Who lost to China?’”
The truth is clear: China is not a misunderstood partner. It is not a competitor who can be managed with diplomacy alone. China is the enemy, and unless America wakes up, the cost of denial will be our decline.