Rubio compares current relations with China to those the U.S. maintained with the USSR during the Cold War

 

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued in New York on Wednesday for the need to maintain high-level contacts with China, comparing the relationship with Beijing to the one Washington maintained with Soviet officials during the Cold War, even during times of nuclear threat.

Rubio stated that the U.S. and China are the world's two largest economies and, likely, its two leading military powers. "The relationship between the United States and China will define the 21st century," he emphasized, describing the notion that the two countries should not interact at the highest level as "irresponsible" and "outrageous."

The senior U.S. official noted that contacts during the Cold War helped avert an actual war. "Even at the height of the Cold War, the United States maintained frequent communications and meetings with Russian and Soviet officials, and thank God we did, because it prevented an actual war," he stated.