Krauthammer: China Arming Itself To 'Expel the U.S. From Its Coastal Waters in the Western Pacific'

Conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer made a scary statement Tuesday.

Appearing on Fox News's O'Reilly Factor, Krauthammer said, "China is developing a huge and sophisticated navy which it never had. And it is quite clear what the objective is: to expel the United States from its coastal waters in the Western Pacific where we have been the prevailing power for the last 50 years since the fall of Japan."

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: China is the rising power in the East. China is developing a huge and sophisticated navy which it never had. And it is quite clear what the objective is: to expel the United States from its coastal waters in the Western Pacific where we have been the prevailing power for the last 50 years since the fall of Japan. Now, we are going to have to build, you cannot counter the Chinese navy and aircraft carriers with drones. So the idea that somehow you can downsize and preserve your power in the world is simply a false one.

BILL O’REILLY, HOST: Now, what is Hagel going to bring though? Is he going to be a toady in your opinion? Is he basically they work this deal out privately, he comes in, the president makes all of these suggestions to downsize the military and Hagel rubberstamps them? Is that what this is that the fix is in?

KRAUTHAMMER: I don't think it's a fix. He’s president. He was reelected.

O’REILLY: No, but I'm talking about Hagel now. Is Hagel on board with all of this diminishment of American power?

KRAUTHAMMER: Look, Hagel is no George Marshall. He’s no Henry Kissinger. He’s not somebody of great stature and ideas of his own. He has never been known for that, and nobody’s been able to produce a single idea or a single piece of legislation. He will do what the president wants him to do. That's one of the reasons he chose him. There’s an affinity of views, and I don't expect him to stand up to the president the way I would have expected a Panetta to when it came to drastic cuts.

O’REILLY: All right. So let's assume that Hagel is…

KRAUTHAMMER: He will be the president's servant.

File photo.