(NewsNation) — GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley criticized both former president Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden’s administration, saying that neither has done enough about China.
Haley’s comments come a week and a half after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.
The former UN ambassador flexed her muscles on foreign policy, expressing concerns about the United States’ often testy relationship with China at a roundtable discussion hosted by the American Enterprise Institute.
During her speech, Haley said Trump was “almost singularly focused” on the U.S.-China trade relationship but did “too little” otherwise. She also said Biden has been “much worse” when it comes to China.
Calling China the United States’ “number one national security threat,” Haley said she wants to beef up the American military to keep up with Chinese advancements, and that she wants to limit trading with the country as well.
“China is much more than just a mere competitor. Communist China is an enemy. It is the most dangerous foreign threat we’ve faced since the Second World War,” Haley said. “We have to stop wasting time. That was true four years ago when I said as much in Seoul — it is more so today. It is time to marshal our strength and national will. We must respond in three ways. Domestically, economically and militarily.”
Another aspect that Haley highlighted in her remarks was companies affiliated with China that are buying American farmland. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that Chinese entities owned more than 383,000 acres of U.S. farmland at the end of 2021. However, other countries, such as Italy and Canada, own even more farmland in the U.S. than China does.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.