This is CBS, I in the World.

I'm John Batchel with Albridge Colby, the author of the new book,

The Strategy of Denial, American Defense in an Age of Great Power conflict.

We turn to Beijing's point of view, the theoretical coalition arranged by the United States and its allies, naming Australia, India,

there are pieces of this coalition accent right now, the quad, India, Australia, Japan, and the United States,

the new Arcus, Australia, the United Kingdom in the United States, Anzis, the American, New Zealand, and Australia, and others,

a bilateral defensive arrangement with Japan and other allies.

Japan with an alliance in some fashion with Vietnam.

All of these things, however, the larger coalition, it faces Beijing.

Beijing has to assume all of these things are part of the anti-hegemonic, anti-Beijing power and ambition.

So we look at Beijing's best strategy. Hide and bide is a possibility,

was a possibility. What does that mean, bridge? And has Beijing quit that or is it continuing?

Hyde and bide was the line that Deng Xiaoping, the admonition he gave to Chinese leaders and so forth, I think, in the 1970s. And it was hide your capabilities and bide your time. So basically, you know, the idea being let's grow, let's get rich, and then we'll be powerful. And then everyone will have to respect us to keep a low profile for as long as possible. In a sense, this is kind of what the United States did in the 19th century, with a few exceptions. And the end result, if you're successful, is people suddenly, you know, realize, oh my gosh, this is a dominant power. We just have to deal with it. Beijing abandoned it, more or less, about starting probably about 10 years ago, certainly with Xi Jinping's accession to power. it's become much more assertive, much more aggressive and belligerent. And the thing about

that is that I don't think China can go back. You know, once people have seen that China's going

to behave this way, once it's so strong, they're not going to be able to persuade people that

they'll go back to this sort of quiescent approach

because the soothing logic, the soothing appeal that, you know, you forward under Hyde and Biden

is, oh, we're getting richer, but it's win-win, we're all going to get rich.

We're going to become like you.

We're going to accept all your rules and everything, and that's been shown to be false.

All right. Hide and bite is momentarily set aside, though, Belton Road is a version of Hyden Biden. Would you agree? The economic authority masking the reach for power?

I mean, well, I mean, you know, it's not, it can fit under, but I mean,

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