“I think that [US rhetoric on China] needs to be a little bit more realistic and a little bit less, perhaps, emotional,” Milley said during a Defense One.
The US should approach its relationship with China with a “steely-eyed, cold-eyed realism” and keep its military competitive with Beijing across all domains, Milley said.
The US needs to be pragmatic and cautious going forward, but can decrease the chances of conflict if it remains strong relative to China, Milley added.