although it was not surprising that vladimir putin would skip the g-20 summit, chinese president xi jinping's absence was noted, both there

and at the asean summit. president biden told reporters in hanoi he was concerned china was, quote, changing the rules of the game and that he met with chinese premier who did attend both meetings. here's more of our conversation with the vice president. >> china's rewriting the global order. your national security strategy says they are the only power in the world with the intent and the ability to do that. >> there's no question that we are very concerned about the chinese government's actions on the south china sea and how that is impacting the security and the future prosperity of the nations that are affected. for example, i was recently in the philippines and i've been spending a lot of time with president marcos, what is happening in terms of unprovoked actions against the philippine interests in the south china sea

is significant and we have been very clear we stand with the philippines. >> they're a treaty alley. >> yes, they are. >> not only a treaty relationship but the basic issue that american people will experience and feel if we're not on top of it is what that will mean in terms of commerce flow freeingly through those waters. >> how concerned are the leaders you spoke with here about the potential for a military clash? >> i think the issue that is most present here among the southeast asian leaders is that there be a respect for and enforcement of international rules and norms. but they hope that there will be an avoidance of conflict. and there's a great symmetry between that and our policy toward china. we do not invite conflict, but we absolutely are prepared to and engaged in what is necessary to compete.

>> so when president biden said the other day that china was a ticking time bomb, he was talking about their current economic problems that they are experiencing. he said, that's not good because when bad folks have problems, they do bad things. what is the scenario that you are thinking about and worried about the most? >> we, as the united states, in our policy, is not about decoupling. it's about derisking. it is about understanding. >> it's not about pulling out. >> it's not about pulling out. but it is about ensure that we are protecting american interests and we are a leader in terms of the rules of the road, as opposed to following others' rules. >> but president biden was, i think, talking about the economic problems within china right now. he seemed to be suggesting that xi jinping might take some kind of action. >> it's no secret that china is

experiencing economic problems, and what you will find is, certainly in my conversations with american business leaders, is that they are looking at the future in terms of their capital investments and taking into account which countries are engaged in practices that are about abide big the rule of law and international rules and norms in a way that they can be guaranteed that there will be some stability so they can make long-term investments. there is increasingly an understanding that china may not be the best bet when you are looking for stability, when you are looking for an investment in a place where there is an adherence and respect for international rules and norms. >> this november, the united states will host a big summit of leaders in san francisco. china said a few days ago, their state security service, the u.s.

needs to show sufficient sincerity before xi jinping app agrees to visit. how important is it for xi jinping to come to america in november? >> well, it is important to the order of things, if you will, the stability of things, that we keep open lines of communication. >> you were in the same room with china's number two today -- >> yes. and i have -- i have met with president xi as well. >> did you talk to him today? >> well, we exchanged pleasantries, yes. >> but it's still a little tense? >> i don't think it's as simple, if you will, as whether there's tension. yes, there's tension. when you are in a competition of any sort, but that does not mean that a we are seeking conflict. >> right. >> and i think it's important to not conflate the two. do we have disagreements, for example, very serious disagreements about what's happening in the south china

sea? yes. we're very clear about that. one could argue there's tension there. you look, for example, at trade, 99% of our trade is not influenced by what we are doing in terms of the restrictions on exports. >> so you want xi jinping to come in november? >> i think he is absolutely an important player in this region of the world, and if he comes, then that will be, i'm sure, something that could be productive. >> north korea's kim jong-un as you know is expected, according to u.s. intelligence, to go meet with vladimir putin in russia, in exchange for some military support potentially here. how destabilizing would that be for asia? >> i think it would be a huge mistake. i think it would be a huge mistake. first of all, when you look at russia's unprovoked war on ukraine and the idea that they

would supply ammunition to russia, well, it's predictable where that ends up. i also believe very strongly that for both russia and north korea, this will further isolate them. >> some of the most sanctioned countries in the world at this point. >> but at some point, it's just a step too far. >> what is that step too far? i mean, what is it that kim jong-un is seeking? is it nuclear submarines, as our allies in seoul have said they're about? is it satellites? what does that do here in asia? >> our allies are telling you -- us, about their concern about what's happening in terms of north korea. we are all absolutely clear and unequivocal about our goal of the complete denuclearization of north korea. but when we think about the -- russia's aggression in ukraine, many, and most, are very clear

also. it's an absolute violation of one of the most important agreements that we have around the world in terms of international rules and norms, which is the importance of sovereignty and territorial integrity. and, margaret, on that matter, it is very clear that russia has xlooerl -- they're very desperate. they have already experienced a strategic failure, so clearly this is an act of desperation on the part of russia. it would be a huge mistake for north korea to do this. >> our full intervew with the vice president is on our website and youtube channel. we'll be right back.

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morning. >> tomorrow is the 22-year mark after the attacks of 9/11 and this friday a senior u.s. intelligence official told reporters that al qaeda is at a historic low point and revival is unlikely in afghanistan and p pakistan. i wonder if you think we're at the point where the u.s. can declare victory? >> that's good news about al qaeda. i think isis is actually the more enduring threat right now. al qaeda is torn with internal debates. isis is not. i do believe that isis, particularly in afghanistan, is taking advantage of the vast ungoverned spaces that are there, and i believe they are gathering strength. i would not dispute the judgment on al qaeda. >> your successor, the current centcom commander said isis could do an external operation against the u.s. in under six months. how should americans understand that threat from afghanistan?

>> well, i believe isis has always wanted to attack us here in our homeland as a core tenant and belief of theirs. one of the reasons we were in afghanistan was to prevent the use of that country as a base in which to gather strength and either to direct or inspire attacks on our homelands or the homelands of our allies as a result of our withdraw from afghanistan it is far more difficult for us to pursue those objectives. >> well, you've made no secret of the fact that now as a private citizen, you opposed both president biden and president trump's decision to withdraw u.s. troops from afghanistan. in june, biden was asked about some of the documented failures of that withdraw and here's what he said. >> remember what i said about afghanistan. i said, al qaeda would not be there. i said, it wouldn't be there and we would get help from the taliban. i was right. >> what do you make of the president's characterization of the u.s. working with the

taliban? >> of course i don't see that intelligence reporting anymore, but everything up until april 2022, which is when i stopped reading it, led me to believe that taliban would act only in the light of their very best interest. while they might make some temporary accommodation as they did when we withdrew from afghanistan, they weren't to be trusted and they actually have a long-term fam lee yal and customary relationship with al qaeda and it's difficult to think that would change. i think that relationship is far stronger than any potential relationship they choose with the united states. >> you oversaw that evacuation, and you've testified to congress previously that the u.s. did not have any opportunity to take out that suicide bomber who took the lives of the 13 americans who died august two years ago. but in recent months, a marine sniper has testified to congress that he had the bomber in his

sights, and he was not authorized to take the shot. do you stand by your initial statement? >> yes, i do, margaret. the point i would make is this, as the days wound up to the 26th of august, the day of the strike, we were looking at four significant threats. we were looking at a vehicle borne ied attack, a car with a bomb in it, that we thought was very real, in fact was being prepared. we were lookin at a suicide vest attack of the type that actually occurred on the 26th. we were looking at indirect fire, rockets or mortars, directed against the air field and then we were looking at the possibility of an insider attack, somebody who got past our checkpoints with a bomb and was able to set it off in a crowded terminal area or an airplane. so the point i would make is, look, there were a lot of threats being worked all the time. >> but there was nothing that you saw indicating that there was a decision made not to take a shot? nothing that would substantiate

what this individual said under sworn testimony? >> what i can tell you is that tactical units on the ground went in with rules of engagement, we call r.o.e. in our business, robust enough to aa how them to defend themselves and we exercised that right several occasions where we engaged targets that appeared to be threatening. so the rules of engagement were in place. as to what actually happened on the ground at the tactical level inside a rifle squad or a platoon, i don't know the answer to that, so i can't help you with that particular one. but i do know we had good rules of engagement, they were the standing rules of engagement we've had. people were well trained in the rules of engagement and knew how to apply them. >> i want to ask you as former centcom commander about iran. we have seen a build up by the administration of marines, warships in the region, at the same time, a bit of a thaw with iran with this potential prisoner exchange happening and the release of $6 billion in

unfrozen iranian reserve money. how should americans at home think about iran now, given what's happening? >> iran remains the most significant threat to peace in the region and they continue to pursue ultimately a policy of ejecting the united states and other western nations from the region. that hasn't changed. that's a return to power in the region. all those remain core goals of iran. they'll do a lot to gain sanctions relief and that's what they're doing now. the core problem of iran has not gone away. it's worsened because over the last ten years, iran has significantly increased the capabilities and capacity of their ballistic missiles, they have thousands of those, of land attack cruise missiles, low flying and drones. those given the capability to gain what we would call overmatch against the neighbors. that's a significant rise in

iranian capabilities. we tend to overlook that sometimes because we look hard at the nuclear issue and the nuclear issue is important. the issue that poses a threat this afternoon is the iranian capability with their missiles. >> general, thank you for your assessment and your time today. we'll be back in a moment.

we're back for some analysis with david sanger of the "new york times" and "washington post" columnist josh rogin. god to have you here. >> good to be here. >> i know you've been looking at great power competition. in the last cold war, southeast asia, asia, was an epicenter of this shutdown and once again, we are looking at asia becoming a real focus here for great power competition this time directly with china. i wonder how you think the biden administration is doing so far in countering? >> so far a lot better than most of the predecessors. i would include both president trump and president obama. they have got a strategy to try to win back the allegiance of

countries throughout the pacific, and so you've seen agreements that have ranged down through the solomon islands and new guinea, places people hadn't thought about in the united states very much, up through the philippines as you were discussing with vice president harris, and with vietnam. i remember being on the first trip that an american president took to vietnam, bill clinton, and it was pretty much all about reconciliation with the war. i felt was interesting about the president's press conference, as you began the show here, is there was almost no reference to the vietnam war. it was really all about china tit will and russia, and its influences. what the president didn't say my times colleagues have reported, that vietnam has just signed an arms deal secretly with russia and did so just before the president arrived. so you're seeing a lot of countries hedging and trying to

keep one foot in both camps. >> josh, you were with me on that very long transit to indonesia and you spoke with vice president harris as well. one of the things -- she didn't lay out there, but the broader strategy seems to be building this constellation of countries that don't really like beijing, but aren't ready to necessarily claim allegiance. they want a little bit more relationship management here. what is it that you think was accomplished? >> right. well, i think we talk about the u.s.-china relationship for obvious reasons, but the fact is that the indo-pacific strategy is bigger than china and where the real action is with all of these other countries. we see the geopolitical shifts in the region, japan and korea, coming to camp david for the first time, we see the japanese and the philippines working together more than they ever have before. this is not caused because of a us but there is an opportunity for the united states to take advantage of these demand

signals coming from allies and i think that's what vice president harris was there to do. i don't know about your opinion, but my opinion is she represented the united states admirably and skillfully and showed she had a command of the issues and a good rapport with whom she has met with on many trips many times. and did she solve all of the world's problems in 36 hours, no? c can she solve -- no, but she did the hard work of hearing these people and what she said is very clear that they're stuck there in that region with china whether they like it or not. they want america in the region. they don't know if they can count on our long-term commitment, they would like more money on the table but this was a small step in the right direction. >> the one part that some of those countries can count on are those countries where there is a treaty, and i think it is worth reminding people five of our seven treaty allies are in asia.

the u.s. could get drawn into a conflict. so these skirmishes in the philippines or things happening in these far-flung places could pull in u.s. military action and require it, david. >> this is our biggest risk right now. which is something accidental. remember that bush administration, george w. bush, began with its first big foreign policy crisis was an american plane that collided with a chinese plane both intelligence plane and fighter and that took days to get the crew back. right now, there is so much activity from the south china sea through the philippines, that that's a big risk. you mentioned north korea, they're in, obviously, you know, the diplomacy that you saw president trump engage in, ultimately fail. the north korean nuclear arsenal is larger than it has ever been. they brought out a submarine that may or may not be able to carry nuclear weapons, and the

cooperation that we once had from china and russia to solve this problem is gone. >> right. >> why? because the russians need arms from the north koreans and looks like in the next few days we may see kim jong-un show up to meet vladimir putin. >> exactly. and that's worth pointing out because when we hear about international rules based order, that's based on the u.n. and two of those actors you just talked about have veto power there. we're really seeing this new territory of foreign policy wise. josh, you know, one of the things that strikes me is how carefully the administration parses and picks its words when it refers to anything having to do with china. then u.s. ambassador rahm emanuel tweeted, and he went there, president xi's cabinet lineup is resembling agatha kristi's novel "and then there were none" talking about the foreign minister going missing, rocket force commanders going missing, the defense minister hasn't been seen in two weeks. he said who is going to win this

unemployment race. china's youth or xi's cabinet? provocative but pointing to real internal issues within china's top leadership. >> we know rahm emanuel in japan i've been to tokyo recently they call him the rahm am das bast dor. the junkyard dog you chain up near the chinese that can bark at them. that's not perfectly coordinated inside the administration but not as if they're stopping him either. you saw in your interview with vice president harris and president biden's press secretary very careful -- >> and then rahm. but what he's saying is true, that the level of secrecy inside xi jinping's regime is unprecedented and causing a lot of the uncertainty and risk of miscalculation that could lead to the conflict that nobody wants. so if it has to be rahm emanuel that says the obvious, when the foreign minister disappears off the face of earth no explanation, that's weird, and

when they are expanding militarily and say we want good military communication but won't establish the military-to-military hotline they're not telling the truth. these are facts about our relationship with china that are unfortunate but need to be spoken so people understand that in the end, if the chinese government doesn't want to engage, there's not a lot we can do except to rally our allies to defend ourselves which is what they're doing. >> wlae'll see if executive privilege -- xi jinping comes to america in november. >> we're taking bets. >> unclear. i don't know what bet you would take on that one. i will defer. we have to leave the conversation there, though, and we'll be right back. only $41 on dealdash. dealdash.com, online auctions since 2009. this playstation 5 sold for only 50 cents. this ipad pro sold for less than $34. and this nintendo switch, sold for less than $20. i got this kitchenaid stand mixer for only $56. i got this bbq smoker for 26 bucks. and

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before we go today we can't to congratulate coco gauff, the first american to win the u.s. open as a teen since 1999 when serena williams won at the age of just 17.

this is her first major tournament victory. president biden called her. that's it for us today. thank you all for watching. until next week, for "face the nation," i'm margaret brennan.

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