Future of US-China Competition with Richard Fontaine

Since the turn of the century, China’s economic, political, and military strength has risen meteorically– from international institutions and trade relationships to telecommunications networks and public perceptions, China is increasingly garnering influence and in some cases, control. This rise to dominance has prompted a dramatic rethink of US foreign policy strategy, and ignited a global campaign for influence known in 2020 as the US-China Competition.

So, through what vectors is this competition taking place? What are the potential outcomes of competition? Is this really a new cold war, and most importantly, will the United States win? To help us answer these questions, today on the podcast we are joined by Mr. Richard Fontaine.

Richard Fontaine is the Chief Executive Officer of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). He served as President of CNAS from 2012-19 and as Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow from 2009-12. Prior to CNAS, he was foreign policy advisor to Senator John McCain and worked at the State Department, the National Security Council, and on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Mr. Fontaine served as foreign policy advisor to the McCain 2008 presidential campaign and subsequently as the minority deputy staff director on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Prior to that, he served as Associate Director for Near Eastern Affairs at the National Security Council (NSC) from 2003-04. He also worked on Southeast Asian issues in the NSC’s Asian Affairs directorate.

At the State Department, Mr. Fontaine worked in the office of Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and in the department’s South Asia bureau. Mr. Fontaine began his foreign policy career as a staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, focusing on the Middle East and South Asia. He also spent a year teaching English in Japan.