Washington, Nov. 15 (Jiji Press)–An adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on China policies has said that the current U.S.-China ties are in a “Cold War-like environment.”

“An increasing number of people across political and policy leadership in the United States see the People’s Republic of China and the Communist Party of China and their influences as the number one threat to the American way of life,” Steve Yates, a senior research fellow for China and national security policy at the U.S. think tank Heritage Foundation, said in a recent interview.

Touching on various threats such as fentanyl and unfair trade practices, he said that in the current environment, “we have to invest more resources to protect ourselves against potential damage from these malign influences.”

“We are in a Cold War-like environment now with the People’s Republic of China,” Yates said, referring to the past geopolitical rivalry between the United States and the now-defunct Soviet Union.

“China is expanding its sovereign claims,” he said. “Frankly its claims over Taiwan are expansionist, too.”