President Donald Trump’s efforts to counter China’s global expansion have disrupted the Chinese Communist Party’s long-term ambitions for dominance through its Belt and Road Initiative, according to Sen. Markwayne Mullin in a wide-ranging interview discussing the geopolitical challenge posed by Beijing.
Speaking in his U.S. Senate office in early February, Mullin described the CCP’s strategy as a century-long plan designed to reshape global trade and influence so that economic power ultimately flows through China. Unlike the United States, where political leadership and policy priorities can shift every four or eight years, Mullin said China’s communist leadership operates with long-term objectives that stretch decades into the future.
“The CCP looks at itself as a lasting governing body,” Mullin explained. “They’re not working on four-year cycles like we are. They’re working on a 100-year plan.”
Central to that strategy, he said, is the Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure and investment campaign launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. The initiative seeks to fund ports, roads, railways, energy infrastructure, and digital networks across Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America.
Mullin argued that the project is about more than economic development. According to him, the initiative is structured to build long-term financial dependence on Beijing by offering large loans to developing countries for infrastructure projects. When those projects fail to generate sufficient revenue, countries can become heavily indebted to China.
“They offer to build ports, government buildings, and infrastructure,” Mullin said. “But they bring their own workers and their own technology, and the projects often don’t generate enough income to pay off the debt.”
In those cases, he said, China can gain leverage over key infrastructure such as ports or transportation hubs. Controlling those assets allows Beijing to influence global trade routes and political decision-making in partner countries.
One example Mullin highlighted was the strategic importance of global ports. By investing in or operating ports in key locations such as the Panama Canal, the Horn of Africa, and the Mediterranean, China can influence shipping lanes that are critical for international commerce.
“If you control the ports, you control the flow of goods,” Mullin said. “And if you control the flow of goods, you control the country’s economy.”
Mullin also warned about the spread of Chinese technology infrastructure, particularly telecommunications networks built by companies such as Huawei. He said these systems can potentially provide Beijing with access to sensitive data and government communications in countries that adopt them.
Another major geopolitical flashpoint discussed in the interview was Taiwan. Mullin emphasized the island’s critical role in semiconductor manufacturing, which underpins everything from consumer electronics to military systems.
Taiwan produces the vast majority of the world’s most advanced semiconductor chips, making it a strategically vital location in the global technology supply chain. Mullin argued that this industry is a major reason China views Taiwan as so important.
“Almost every modern device relies on those chips,” he said. “From phones to defense systems to vehicles.”
Mullin also linked Taiwan’s importance to broader maritime strategy. The island sits along the first island chain in the western Pacific, a series of territories that influence access to major shipping lanes used to transport energy and resources throughout Asia.
China, he noted, lacks many key natural resources such as oil and gas and depends heavily on imported energy. Securing maritime routes that bring those resources into the country is therefore a major strategic priority.
According to Mullin, China’s growing global influence was advancing steadily in the past decade but began facing stronger resistance during Trump’s presidency. The COVID-19 pandemic, he said, exposed how dependent many countries had become on Chinese supply chains, prompting a reassessment of those relationships.
Trump’s push to rebuild domestic manufacturing, diversify supply chains, and pressure energy producers such as Iran and Venezuela also altered the geopolitical balance, Mullin argued. By targeting discounted oil supplies that China had relied on, he said the administration created economic pressure that could affect Beijing’s broader strategy.
Mullin also warned that Chinese influence operations extend into the United States through investments and land purchases conducted by private firms with ties to the CCP.
“It’s not always the Communist Party directly buying assets,” he said. “Sometimes it’s investors or companies with connections to the party structure.”
He said U.S. agencies have begun scrutinizing such investments more closely, particularly when they involve land or infrastructure near sensitive locations.
Looking ahead, Mullin emphasized the importance of protecting critical infrastructure, strengthening alliances, and maintaining technological advantages — including in emerging areas such as space, which he described as the next major domain of geopolitical competition.
“Who controls space will control the future of security,” Mullin said, pointing to the establishment of the U.S. Space Force as part of that strategic shift.
Overall, he argued that the world is becoming increasingly aware of China’s ambitions and that many countries are reconsidering their partnerships with Beijing.
“Countries are starting to step back and reassess,” Mullin said. “They want stability, and they know the United States isn’t trying to take over their country.”
