“China and, in time, India are going to be major powers for the whole of this century and for the foreseeable future. How America relates, particularly to China, is going to determine the peace and stability of the world,” he said.
He noted that in the US and Europe – where he said the politics are in a febrile state – “there are quite strong forces of isolationism”.
However, he pointed out that even countries that do not want to get involved with the rest of the world end up doing so.
The US, in particular, needs allies in the face of a “strong division” between China and the West, Mr Blair noted.
“America is not going to get allies unless it engages with them and stays involved with them. That’s why … I think the transatlantic alliance between America and Europe … will stay strong,” he said.
He added that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the West will continue to build alliances within the world.
“We’ll do that not out of some misplaced idealism, but we’ll do that because realistically, that’s the best way to make sure that we protect our values, our interests, our way of life,” he said.
