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U.S. President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping pose for a photo ahead of their bilateral meeting during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

A 'capital war' is accelerating between the US and China, and the coronavirus pandemic is only making it worse, according to one investor

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The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated a trade, technology, and capital war between the US and China, according to Michael Howell, CEO of CrossBorder Capital. 

"There's an awful lot of liquidity being poured in, but I think the real tension upcoming is not just trade wars but capital wars," Howell said in a Tuesday interview with CNBC. "We're in a world where capital wars matter." 

Tensions between the US and China have been in the spotlight again amid the coronavirus pandemic. The US said Sunday that it would likely place sanctions on China for implementing a new security law on Hong Kong

But beyond those sanctions, Howell said that the US is making efforts to contain China. Recently, the Federal Reserve expanded its dollar swap lines to more central banks, allowing them access to dollar funding amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

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"The decision to share dollar swap lines with 14 other nations, effectively forming a de facto group of 15 countries, including America, that have access to dollars, that is a critical development," Howell said. 

He added that the action is "the economic equivalent of NATO," which was established to contain the Soviet Union militarily. 

"This is trying to contain China economically," he said. "There will be further salvos fired in this capital war, this technology war, this trade war." 

He continued: "Essentially, America and China are clear rivals and the coronavirus crisis has simply accelerated these trends."