The best way to understand China’s posture toward the U.S. is to read President Xi Jinping’s speeches to internal audiences, not messages delivered in international settings such as Davos. That’s according to Matthew Pottinger, current Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and former Deputy National Security Advisor during the Trump administration. Pottinger joins Kyle Bass, founder and chief investment officer of Hayman Capital Management, for a discussion of the Middle Kingdom’s grand strategy amid a simmering “Great Power” conflict. Xi recently praised Mao Zedong for fighting a preemptive war against the United States on the Korean Peninsula, noting he was willing to destroy his own nation in order to begin anew. Xi, according to Pottinger, is serious about “throwing one punch” to wreck capitalism and topple western-style democracy. In addition to shedding some light on China’s response to COVID-19, Pottinger offers his thoughts on how the U.S. can counter China’s global ambitions.