China is 'great white shark' fed by West: ex-Trump adviser Pottinger

World must heed Xi's internal messaging to understand 'grand strategy'

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Former U.S. deputy national security advisor Matt Pottinger speaks to Nikkei Asia in Tokyo. (Photo by Kohei Fujimura)

KEN MORIYASU, Nikkei Asia diplomatic correspondent

TOKYO -- For many years, the West believed that more engagement with China would fundamentally transform the way Beijing governs.

"We saw a baby shark and thought that we could transform it into a dolphin," former U.S. deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger told Nikkei Asia in an interview. "We kept feeding the shark and the shark got bigger and bigger. And now we're dealing with a formidable, great white."

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