“I see clearly that China is a peer competitor. And we have to be able at the same time, to cooperate with China in those areas where it’s essential,” Coons said in an interview before speaking at the Halifax International Security Forum. “There’s a whole series of areas where the world is only going to get safer and more stable if the United States and China cooperate, but our main focus has to be competing with China,” he said.

Senator Chris Coons joined Mercedes Stephenson and The West Block during the Halifax International Security Forum to discuss foreign policy, Canada-US relations, and the priorities for incoming President Joe Biden.

There’s been a deluge of China analysis this week. A report from the Halifax International Security Forum, which convenes Nov. 20 to 22, entitled “China vs. Democracy,” is the best of the bunch. The Forum team led by Peter Van Praagh does not mince words: They argue that China is on a trajectory to deliver “an even more complete form of totalitarianism than Stalin could have dreamed of,” and that Chinese companies must now be treated as guilty until proven innocent when it comes to their links to the Chinese state. Other reports from the State Department and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Republican majority agree that the U.S., EU and other democracies cannot cut China off — too many of the solutions to global challenges depend on China’s participation — yet individual democracies will fail to outmaneuver China by operating alone.

Raymond said the Space Force plays a key role in deterring aggressive actions from adversaries in space, including China which is making strides in its space-based capabilities, he noted during the Halifax International Security Forum, which is being hosted both in person in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that Turkey has maintained robust relations with the West without ignoring the East. “We cannot afford to turn our back on either the East or the West. While developing our relations with Europe, we never ignore Asia and Africa,” Erdogan said, attending an event organized by the Washington-based Halifax International Security Forum via video link. “It is not only wrong but also impossible to confine Turkey, which is geographically an African-Eurasian country within a narrow framework concerning diplomacy,” Erdogan added, according to a statement from the Turkish Presidency.

Founded 12 years ago, the forum is an opportunity to network and build relationships, its founder says.  “Our mission as an organization is to enhance strategic cooperation among the world’s democracies,” Peter Van Praagh, the forum’s founder and president, told VOA. Van Praagh says the forum brings together leaders “to really tackle the world’s toughest challenges.” Some participants said the forum was a success this year despite the obstacles posed by the pandemic.