Esper considers premature to talk about the US cold war with China

"I would not want to see the enemy in China, there is no need for this ... I think it’s premature to talk about the Cold War," he said during a speech in the Council on Foreign Relations.

He called for "building bridges" in relations with China.

Earlier, the US Department of Defense said that China and Russia are the most serious threats to the United States.

According to the US defense department, the PRC poses the greatest threat to the United States.