China's President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump are increasingly divided by the coronavirus pandemic
China's President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump are increasingly divided by the coronavirus pandemic AFP / Brendan Smialowski

A U.S. Republican senator has warned China is planning to stage a “cold war” against the United States and he wants Australia to play a crucial role in fending off Beijing’s plans for “world domination.”

In an interview Tuesday, Senator Rick Scott said the Chinese Communist Party doesn’t believe in human rights and fair trade. He added China is seeking “world domination” and democratic countries should work together to stop this from happening.

"Every democracy needs to stand up for what they believe in," Scott told The Sydney Morning Herald.

"They believe in world domination by the Communist Party of China. The way I look at it is that the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party [Xi Jinping] has made a decision to have a cold war against the United States and democracies around the world."

Calling it a U.S. ally, the senator also commended Australia for holding China “accountable” by calling an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19. The coronavirus is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China.

“I'm very appreciative of Australia's push to get the facts, live in reality and hold people accountable for their actions," Scott added.

Analysts warn, however, things will get uglier as more countries join the conflict. Dan Ikenson, director of the Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, said a decoupling between China and U.S. is "underway.”

“Things will get worse — perhaps much worse — before they get better,” he added.

In a post in April, Edward Lucas of the Center for European Policy Analysis described China’s tactic as “Wolf Warrior diplomacy.” He added western countries need a coordinated response to Beijing’s “overreach.”

“‘Wolf Warrior diplomacy’ is China’s new no-holds-barred approach to the outside world … The backlash against Wolf Warrior diplomacy is growing. China has stoked anger in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden — to take just a few recent examples,” Lucas noted, adding countries need to push back hard against the CCP.