Dr Mahathir says China will overtake US and stay as world's top power, downplays India's potential as competitor
TOKYO, May 30 – Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad reportedly said China is poised to become the world's leading power, asserting that the United States lacks the capacity to halt its rise due to growing domestic preoccupations.
Speaking at the Nikkei Future of Asia conference in Tokyo, Dr Mahathir said US President Donald Trump appeared threatened by China's emergence, but noted China's long-standing civilisation and resilience would ensure its ascendancy.
'China has been there much longer than the US ... I don't think China is going to be easily defeated by the US,' he was quoted saying by Nikkei Asia.
'I don't think the US will recover and become No. 1 again. China looks like it is going to be the No. 1 country in the world.'
Dr Mahathir also criticised Trump's use of tariffs, saying they have alienated the US globally and would ultimately harm American consumers due to the country's reliance on imports, including high-tech components like microchips.
'Trump has made the whole world the enemy ... I give Trump three months before he will have to do away with the tariffs,' he reportedly said.
Earlier this month in an interview with TIME magazine, Dr Mahathir had called out the superpower for its hypocrisy and disastrous foreign policies under Trump.
However, he dismissed the idea that India could rival China's influence, citing its complex social structure and decentralised governance, which he said made it difficult for India to adopt a unified global posture.
'India cannot have a singular government that rules the whole of India with no one challenging its position,' he said.
Dr Mahathir also expressed concern over the US dollar's dominance in international trade, arguing that it enables Washington to impose sanctions on other countries too easily.
'America has too much power to apply sanctions because they have control over trade settlements,' he said, advocating for a new gold-based international trading currency.
In 2019, Dr Mahathir had proposed in Tokyo a new currency based on gold, citing it as more stable rather than the current currency trading which is manipulative.
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