Experts Analyze Mounting Tensions Between the US and China

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Let me ask you before turning to Ian to just tell me from your position as a former government, you know, minister, cabinet secretary, what you make of this escalating drama of another big power in the middle of this huge health and economic crisis.

ROBERT REICH, FORMER U.S. LABOR SECRETARY: Well, I think it`s unfortunate. It is understandable that the United States and China would be in tension. They have been in tension for many, many years. Will be in tension in years to come. They`re two big superpowers. But the problem is we have, obviously, a pandemic and we also are on a brink of a global depression, maybe great depression. And to have the two superpowers of the world at the brink of not, you know, a trade war, more of a Cold War, is really the last thing we need. I worry that the Trump administration may be trying to deflect attention from its own shortcomings in terms of dealing with this pandemic by wanting to blame China just like it wants to blame the World Health Organization.

AMANPOUR: Let me turn to you, Ian Bremmer, because you have written a latest newsletter focusing a lot on China. You, of course, are the founder of Eurasia Group and, you know, you were talking about where China might fit in the aftermath or frankly currently right now given with the vacuum of the American leadership in the world over this particular issue right now.

IAN BREMMER, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, EURASIA GROUP: Yes. Clearly, there are no winners, country-wise, that comes out of the worst economic recession of our lifetimes. Everyone would be better off if it didn`t happen. But China can take advantage of the geopolitical vacuum that is left from an absence of American and absence from Transatlantic leadership globally. And you see that with the fact that the Chinese economy has now restarted effectively, the supply chain is almost fully back up and functional, they`re probably not going to contract this year while the Americans and Europeans do. And they`re incredibly important particularly the trade ties and the credit they offer and extend to some of the poorest countries in the world. Add that to the fact that Chinese technology is competing with the U.S. and nobody else has the tech firms, the Americans, the Chinese do, their ability to gain in strength and alignment with a lot of the developing countries around the world is going to be very clear on the back of this crisis.