"The past several months alone have seen particularly egregious examples of Beijing’s conduct," Stillwell said in prepared remarks to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "These are not the actions of a responsible global actor but a lawless bully."
Stilwell referred to China’s recent confrontation with India, Hong Kong's national security law and alleged human rights abuses as examples of such behaviour.
The United States and its allies, he added, have engaged China for a significant period of time only to have Beijing demonstrate its unwillingness to join "the free and open international order."
Reciprocally, Beijing has also frequently accused Washington of flouting international norms and rules in its effort to promote US national interests.
US-China relations have plummeted to their lowest point in years as the two preeminent global economic powers wage a trade war.
