Capehart: We’re in a Cold War with China, They’re Making Deals in Middle East We ‘Used to Seek’

On Friday’s “PBS NewsHour,” Washington Post Associate Editor and MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart said that the United States and China are in the middle of a cold war and pointed to the “huge” deal that restored diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran that was brokered by China as an example of China’s diplomatic push. Capehart also remarked that the United States “used to seek deals like that. Now it’s the Chinese.”

After New York Times columnist David Brooks stated that the U.S. and China are in a cold war and official U.S. policy is that we’re in a cold war with China, co-host Amna Nawaz asked, “Do you see it the same way? We’re in a cold war with China now?”

Capehart answered, “Well, when David puts it like that, yes. How could I argue?”

He continued, “Also because of what we’ve seen with what China has done on the diplomatic front in the last few weeks. The deal that China brokered between I think it was Saudi Arabia and Iran, huge deal. I remember — I’m old enough to remember when the United States used to seek deals like that. Now it’s the Chinese.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett