Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich acknowledges that he once believed China would change its ways after gaining admission to the World Trade Organization – but no longer.

"It's clear that all of us who thought that were wrong, that we are dealing with a civilization operating on very different principles than our own," Gingrich told Just the News' "John Solomon Reports" on Wednesday.

The Georgia Republican and former presidential candidate views the situation more like a must-win "competition" with China, saying Americans must "learn how to win at it, or we're gonna be destroyed."

Gingrich points outs that he in fact wrote a book last fall on the very topic, titled "Trump versus China."

"I wrote it because I was one of those people who thought that if (China) got into the World Trade Organization, if they learned more about the rule of law, that they would in fact become more of a normal nation," Gingrich said.

He also said the competition between the U.S. and China represents "a much greater challenge than the Soviet Union was in the Cold War."

Gingrich called for China to pay reparations as a consequence of the global coronavirus pandemic that has wreaked havoc economically and through significant death tolls.

"And I think you look at everybody on the planet who has been killed because of Chinese dishonesty and then you look at all the economic damage, the Chinese should be made to pay for this," he said.

Gingrich suggested that the money might be obtained by using the U.S. courts, imposing a stiff tariff or "putting all of their assets in escrow, something we've done to the Iranians, we've done to the Cubans."