Kevin Rudd: ‘President Trump could deter China from World War Three’

Ambassador Kevin Rudd is a key figure in Washington as Trump grapples with how to deal with the relationship between the two most powerful nations in the world.

A China specialist for more than four decades , Rudd could legitimately claim to know President Xi Jinping better than any senior figure in the West .

His view that Xi is an aggressive nationalist who might resort to military force resonates with the hardline China stance of Trump ’s top officials.

Kevin Rudd has written a book on China 's leader, Xi Jinping , on his book On Xi Jinping .

Rudd interrupted his Oxford studies in 2022 to write The Avoidable War , a policy primer on the relationship between the US and China that was widely praised.

Rudd says Xi has moved China towards Leninism in terms of one -party control, Marxism economically and the nationalist right in foreign policy.

He believes that Trump 's determination to project American strength could prevent a global conflagration.

Rudd is poised to be the first non-diplomat British ambassador to Washington since Peter Jay in the 1970s .

His ability as a Chinese linguist meant becoming a diplomat was a natural next step.

After defeating Julia Gillard , he was prime minister for just two months before losing power to the Liberals .