John Bolton, former President Donald Trump's nation security adviser, told Newsmax that China previously hid its true global ambitions, but they are now coming to the surface.
Joining "The Record With Greta Van Susteren" on Tuesday, Bolton said Chinese President Xi Jinping is "laying a propaganda basis" for expansion, which Beijing "has already been doing for the last 15 years."
"This is a way for him to say, 'I wouldn't have done this but for the United States,' which is just flatly untrue," Bolton said of Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang's recent comment the U.S. needs to "hit the brakes" or risk conflict.
"This is part of what they call in China 'wolf-warrior diplomacy.' It's a very aggressive style of rhetoric and confrontation," he continued, suggesting it is "a reflection" of how confident China is.
Under former Chinese President Deng Xiaoping, Bolton proposed, China began market reforms to build up its military and engaged in a policy of "hide and bide: hide your capabilities and bide your time."
"So, it sounded like China was engaged in a peaceful rise. Everything was fine. People in the United States thought there was no political risk to invest in China," Bolton explained.
"Now, when the mask comes off, and we get wolf-warrior diplomacy," he continued.
"People say, 'My goodness! Relations have worsened between Beijing and Washington.' Absolutely not true. They were bad before. We just didn't get it."
Bolton criticized the Trump administration he served in for ending major joint military exercises with South Korea in 2019. Former President Donald Trump had cited the hefty price tag as the reason.
"Those exercises help make our troops safer, make South Korea safer, and really demonstrate to North Korea that their rhetoric isn't going to shake us," Bolton said.
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