WASHINGTON >> Florida Sen. Marco Rubio on Wednesday painted a dark vision of the consequences of America’s “unbalanced relationship” with China, echoing President-elect Donald Trump’s anti-globalist rhetoric as he vies to be confirmed as his secretary of state.

While touching on issues plaguing the Middle East, Latin America and eastern Europe, Rubio focused much of his five-hour Senate confirmation hearing warning that without swift and substantive policy shifts, China will remain the “biggest threat” to American prosperity in the 21st Century.

“If we don’t change course, we are going to live in the world where much of what matters to us on a daily basis from our security to our health will be dependent on whether the Chinese allow us to have it or not,” Rubio testified to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Asked about NATO, the 75-year-old security organization that Trump has repeatedly criticized, Rubio affirmed its value, calling it a “very important alliance.” But Rubio endorsed Trump’s view that some European allies should be contributing more to their collective defense, adding that the U.S. must decide whether it wants “a primary defense role” or to be a “backstop” against aggression.

The 53-year-old Republican made the case against China and other U.S. adversaries to his colleagues on the Foreign Relations panel where he served for 14 years. He received a warm welcome from both sides of the aisle, making jokes about how “surreal” it was to be on the other side of the dais.

“I hope I can earn your support, whether it’s because you believe I would do a good job, or because you want to get rid of me,” Rubio joked as part of his opening statement.

But in between the niceties, Rubio blamed America’s vulnerability to China on the shift to globalism, which he says “is now a weapon being used against us.” He said the U.S. must begin placing “our core national interests above all else.”

Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz, who served alongside Rubio on the Foreign Relations Committee, said he has high hopes that the Florida Republican will reject the isolationist approach of other Trump allies.

“I think Marco is a hawk, but he’s also an internationalist, and I think the challenge for him will be to maintain the long bipartisan tradition of America being indispensable in world affairs,” the Hawaii lawmaker told The Associated Press. “And there are people in the Trump world who want us to run away from being the leaders of the free world. And I’m hoping that Marco’s instincts towards American strength will win the day.”

Rubio’s approach to foreign affairs is grounded in his years of service on the Foreign Relations committee and the Senate Intelligence panel. In his speeches and writings, he’s delivered increasingly stern warnings about growing military and economic threats to the United States.

If confirmed, Rubio will become the leader of U.S. foreign policy — though his role will surely remain secondary to Trump, who relishes the global stage and frequently uses the bully pulpit against America’s allies. Even before taking office, Trump has stirred angst in foreign capitals by threatening to seize the Panama Canal and Greenland and suggesting he will pressure Canada to become the nation’s 51st state.

When asked about the canal Wednesday, Rubio testified that while he hasn’t “looked at the legal research,” he is “compelled to suspect that an argument could be made that the terms under which that canal were turned over has been violated.”

But, he added, that “Panama is a great partner in a lot of other issues and I hope we can resolve this issue.”

A Biden administration decision to rescind Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism with just days left in office is likely to have irked Rubio, who has long supported tough sanctions on the communist-run island.

When asked by Sen. Ted Cruz, Republican from Texas, if he believed Cuba should have remained on that list, Rubio replied: “without a question.” He also indicated that the new administration would reverse plans by the Biden administration to remove Cuba from the state of sponsor of terrorism list.

“Nothing that the Biden administration has agreed to in the last 12 or 18 hours binds the next administration, which starts on Monday,” Rubio said.