Friedman: If China Builds More Islands in the South China Sea, ‘I Couldn’t Care Less’

FRIEDMAN: “We are in the middle of a change of the climate of globalization. We are going from a world that’s interconnected to a world that is interdependent. That’s a difference of degree, that's a difference of kind. In an interdependent world, your friends can kill you faster than your enemies. If Greece and Italy's banks go bankrupt, we’ll all feel it here. Greece and Italy, they are in EU, they're allies. They can kill us today. And your rival's falling in an interdependent world becomes more dangerous than your rival's rising. Frankly, if China takes more islands in the South China Sea, I couldn’t care less. If China’s growth goes from 6 percent to 0 percent, this festival will not be held next year. That is what happens in an interdependent world. Your rival's falling becomes more dangerous than your rival's rising. That is a climate change.”