A former Google CEO predicted that in a decade’s time, the internet will look like two distinctly separate worlds – one led by America and the other China.

Eric Schmidt, also one-time executive chairman of Google’s parent company Alphabet, told tech a conference in San Francisco that the web will likely have two clear voices rather than a mass fragmentation, CNBC reported.

“I think the most likely scenario now is not a splintering, but rather a bifurcation into a Chinese-led internet and a non-Chinese internet led by America,” Schmidt said Wednesday night.

“If you look at China, and I was just there, the scale of the companies that are being built, the services being built, the wealth that is being created is phenomenal. Chinese Internet is a greater percentage of the GDP of China, which is a big number, than the same percentage of the US, which is also a big number.”

Schmidt said he expects to see continued growth of goods and services offer via the web from China – but not necessarily a change in Beijing’s iron-fisted, un-democratic rule.

“I think you’re going to see fantastic leadership in products and services from China,” Schmidt said.

“There’s a real danger that along with those products and services comes a different leadership regime from government, with censorship, controls, etc.”