Nikki Haley: 'Every company needs to have a Plan B' on China

American companies should beryllium acceptable to halt treating China arsenic an economical rival and commencement viewing it arsenic a nationalist information threat, Nikki Haley, a Republican statesmanlike campaigner and erstwhile ambassador to the United Nations, said Monday.

"I deliberation China's an enemy. I deliberation we person to instrumentality them incredibly seriously. And the occupation is, you tin look astatine dollars and cents oregon you tin look astatine a menace to America," Haley said connected CNBC's "Squawk Box."

"Companies and radical person said for excessively long, 'We'll woody with China tomorrow.' But China is dealing with america today. We've got to code this," she added.

Haley said "every institution needs to person a Plan B" successful the lawsuit that China decides to "pull the rug retired from nether us." She called Beijing "the biggest menace we've had since Pearl Harbor."

The erstwhile politician of South Carolina besides criticized Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who precocious said the U.S. narration with China request not beryllium a "winner instrumentality all" contest.

"To adjacent accidental that means you don't recognize China," Haley said of Yellen.

Haley's latest remarks physique connected the hawkish presumption she laid retired past period successful a Wall Street Journal op-ed, successful which she vowed to propulsion U.S. businesses "to permission China arsenic wholly arsenic possible."

She besides urged businesses to forge stronger ties with U.S. allies, specified arsenic India, Japan and South Korea, to go little babelike connected China.

Haley pointed to a bid of actions taken by China's communist enactment successful caller years that she said airs a multi-layered economical and information menace to the United States. They see buying hundreds of thousands of acres of U.S. farmland, purchasing the country's largest pork producer, floating spy balloons implicit America, spreading propaganda successful universities, lobbying Congress done "front companies," rapidly gathering up a monolithic naval fleet, stealing U.S. intelligence spot and processing caller weapons.

The Chinese Embassy successful Washington, D.C., did not instantly remark connected Haley's remarks. Chinese authorities officials often importune that Beijing simply seeks a mutually beneficial, "win-win" narration with the United States. But American diplomats privately gag that "win-win" present means China wins twice.

Haley besides suggested that China's relation successful the U.S. fentanyl crisis raises questions astir the aboriginal of the bilateral commercialized relationship.

Many of the precursor chemicals that marque up fentanyl originate successful China earlier being illegally diverted to Mexico, wherever they are processed by cartels to make the deadly synthetic opioid. The Department of Justice has said fentanyl overdoses are the starring origin of decease for Americans ages 18 to 49.

"I deliberation if it means america ending mean commercialized relations, you spell to China and say, 'We'll extremity mean commercialized relations until you halt sidesplitting Americans,'" she said.

Haley's alarm-ringing connected China comes arsenic she seeks to separate herself successful the Republican statesmanlike primary, which has truthful acold been dominated by erstwhile President Donald Trump.

Only 1 of Trump's competitors, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has consistently garnered double-digit enactment successful nationalist polls of the superior race. The remainder of the field, including Haley, has struggled to summation traction with voters.

Haley took purpose astatine DeSantis implicit his ongoing feud with Disney, which stemmed from the amusement giant's absorption to a arguable schoolroom measure successful Florida. While she disagrees with Disney's stance, "I besides don't deliberation that governors should walk taxpayers dollars suing companies."

Still, it is hard to foretell however forcefully criticizing China volition assistance to acceptable Haley, oregon immoderate candidate, isolated from the battalion successful the 2024 predetermination cycle.

This is successful ample portion due to the fact that polls consistently amusement that a hawkish cognition toward Beijing is 1 of the fewer argumentation positions that enjoys wide enactment among some Democrats and Republicans.

As President Joe Biden mounts a reelection campaign, his medication is taking a hard enactment against China that bears a beardown similarity to those of Republicans similar Haley.

FBI Director Christopher Wray testified this period that nary different state presents a "more broad menace to our ideas, our innovation [and] our economical security."

Asked astir the authorities of the Republican primary, Haley described it arsenic a marathon, "not a sprint."

She besides said that she would enactment Trump if helium is the eventual Republican nominee. "I'm not going to person a President Kamala Harris," she said, a notation to the presumption held by galore Republican voters that Biden, who turned 80 past year, is excessively aged to beryllium president.