Is US-China rivalry more than just a trade war? Where is US-China competition headed? Robert Hormats was a US Under Secretary of State in the Obama administration and has been to China over 100 times. He sat down with CGTN's Wang Guan and explained why Washington should keep its engagement policy towards China.  

WANG GUAN CGTN REPORTER "Secretary Hormats, this morning President Trump accused China of meddling in US mid-term elections, the evidence he gave was 4 pages of China Daily ads. How do you look at that accusation?"  

ROBERT HORMATS FORMER US UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE "Well I'm very puzzled by why he would say that, because the advertisement is very clearly designated as having been developed and paid for by the China Daily, which is clearly labelled as an organ of PRC. So there's nothing disguised about it. And other people express their views in the American press, that's one of the benefits of the First Amendment. Countries have done this for years, taking out ads to convey information that they would like to convey. People can read it, they can agree with it, or disagree with it. It's up to them."   

WANG GUAN CGTN REPORTER "When addressing the UN, President Trump said 'We reject the ideology of globalism; we embrace the doctrine of patriotism.' What went through your mind when you heard that remarks?"

WANG GUAN CGTN REPORTER "Talking about China, how do you look at China's role in the UN and the shaping of a multilateral world?"  

ROBERT HORMATS FORMER US UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE "So far China has played a constructive role in those, although making clear that it has its own view. It has its own sense of direction as to where they should go."  

WANG GUAN CGTN REPORTER "Many Washington strategists are asking this question. Should Washington end the engagement policy with China? What do you think?"  

ROBERT HORMATS FORMER US UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE "I think the answer and my judgement from and from a historical point of view is that the US and China need to remain and engage with one another. We are the two biggest economies in the world. We are two countries with enormous global and political influence. We are very significant military powers. It is hard for me to see any real progress in the major global issues facing our countries and the world in 21th century without engagement."  

WANG GUAN CGTN REPORTER "Many people believe that the current tensions against China and the US is a classic case study of realism, the established power is trying to check the progress of rising power, using the intellectual property and subsidy as excuses to prevent China's rise perhaps."

ROBERT HORMATS FORMER US UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE  "Well I think some people do believe that what the United States should be doing. There are not people in Washington, but also in the country who see China as a strong competitor in technology for instance. China has bought a lot of money and a lot of people as it requests to be the major player in technology, so China's rise occurring. We have to understand our history."