The US has “wasted, I think, $3 trillion” on military spending. “How many miles of high-speed railroad do we have in this country?” he asked.
This is, he said, because of Washington’s tendency to force other nations to “adopt our American principles.”Ĭarter said that China, in contrast to the US, had made massive economic progress by maintaining peace with its neighbors. He said the US has only enjoyed 16 years of peace in its 242-year history, making the country “the most warlike nation in the history of the world,” Carter said. “Since 1979, do you know how many times China has been at war with anybody?” Carter asked. The former Democratic president said China was getting ahead of the US because Washington has been at war with other countries for most of its history.Ĭarter-who normalized diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing in 1979-suggested that China’s rapid growth had been facilitated by government investment and helped by peace.
Some experts say China could overtake the US as the world’s largest economy by 2030 if current growth trends continue. He told the congregation that Trump feared China's growing economic strength and suggested the president was right to be concerned. Former US President Jimmy Carter says President Donald Trump has spoken with him about China because the current US leader was worried that Beijing overtaking the US economically, adding that America’s endless wars has prevented proper investment in US infrastructure and manufacturing.Ĭarter, 94, said Trump called him on Saturday as he spoke during his regular Sunday School lesson at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains, Georgia.