How and why China’s military development worries the Pentagon
In the military field, "China is already ahead of the United States in some areas". What emerges from the recent Pentagon report on Beijing's war development and how China replies
"China is already ahead of the United States in some areas," of the defense. Including shipbuilding, conventional ballistic and cruise missiles, and integrated air defense systems.
That's what emerges from the 2020 report on the development of China's military posture and security published yesterday by the United States Department of Defense.
According to the Pentagon report, China is attempting to at least double the number of nuclear warheads in its arsenal over the next decade and its military has already matched or surpassed the United States in a number of key areas.
The report describing China's military capabilities comes amid mounting tensions between Washington and Beijing over a range of issues, including Chinese military activities in the South China Sea and US support for Taiwan.
WHAT EMERGES FROM THE DOD USA REPORT
In the military sphere, China "has already achieved parity with the United States, or surpassed it, in several areas of modernization, including shipbuilding, conventional ground-launched ballistic missiles and cruise missiles and air defense systems. integrated ”, reads the report published yesterday.
WILL THE NUCLEAR HEADS DOUBLE?
But what worries US defense most is the expansion of China's nuclear arsenal. "China's stocks of nuclear warheads – currently estimated at around 200 – are expected to double over the next decade," the report wrote.
He added that "Chinese land-based ICBMs – capable of threatening the United States – are expected to grow to about 200 in the next five years."
BEIJING OUT OF NEGOTIATIONS ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTROL
While the number of Chinese nuclear warheads is growing rapidly, its overall stocks are still minimal compared to those of Russia and the United States.
However, the Trump administration still tried to include Beijing in its nuclear weapons control talks with Russia, without success.
STEPS FROM GIANT IN THE TWENTY YEARS
For the Dragon these are giant steps in the military field. As the Financial Times points out , in its first annual report, in 2000, the Pentagon described the Chinese military as "mostly archaic," lacking in capacity, organization and training.
The 2020 report instead highlights that the Asian country is trying to "substantially complete" military modernization by 2035. Before finishing its modernization by 2049.
THE CHINESE MILITARY EXPENDITURE
In fact, over the past decade Beijing has almost doubled its defense spending. Topping $ 100 billion for the first time in 2012 and reaching $ 174 billion last year.
The report notes that China continues to increase its military spending at a pace that exceeds Chinese economic growth. As CNN pointed out, China's defense budget far exceeds that of other countries in the region. Japan's defense budget in 2019 was about $ 54 billion, South Korea's about $ 40 billion and Taiwan's $ 10.9 billion.
However, China's military spending is still much lower than that of the US military of $ 686 billion last year.
THE ARSENALE BELLICO
The report also shows that China has the largest standing army and navy in the world, with 350 ships and 2 million personnel in its regular forces.
In fact, it surpasses the US Navy, including about 293 ships in early 2020.
China's defense "also has one of the world's largest forces of advanced long-range ground-to-air systems," including the S-400s, S-300s and domestically produced systems, the report noted.
RELATIONS WITH FOREIGN ARMY FORCES
In the report, the Pentagon also emphasizes Beijing's efforts to strengthen ties with foreign armed forces. The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has in fact expanded participation in bilateral and multilateral military exercises.
The report argues that China "is most likely already considering and planning further military logistics facilities abroad." Citing Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Seychelles, Tanzania, Angola and Tajikistan. Beijing established its first and only overseas military base in Djibouti in 2017.
WHAT THE DOD EXPECTS
China is also poised to launch its second domestically built aircraft carrier by 2023, in addition to the first commissioned last year, along with its first large amphibious warship.
As we said, the Pentagon's main concern that emerges from the report is the forecast that China will at least double its stocks of nuclear warheads (capable of threatening the US) "in the low 200" to more than 400 in the next decade.
THE REPLICA OF BEIJING
The Chinese replica is immediate. Today Beijing rejected the Pentagon's predictions of the possible doubling of its nuclear arsenal in a decade from the current estimates. The research "ignores the facts, makes baseless comments on the defense of China and deliberately distorts strategic intentions," said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.
The Defense Ministry, in a statement, spoke of a US mentality "full of Cold War thoughts and zero-sum, exaggerating the so-called Chinese military threat."
THE THEATER OF THE INDO-PACIFIC
The report comes as Defense Secretary Mark Esper concludes his trip to Hawaii, Palau and Guam . Here, the Secretary met with senior leaders from across the region to reaffirm the United States' commitment to the Indo-Pacific .
As early as the end of last year, Esper described the Indo-Pacific region as the priority theater of the US Department of Defense.
THE US-CHINA TENSION
In all of this, last Sunday "the USS Halsey (DDG 97) Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyer made a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait". The analyst Aurelio Giansiracusa reported it on Ares-Difesa . "Destroyer Halsey is deployed forward in the US 7th Fleet operational area in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region."
Yesterday, the top official of the State Department's Office of East Asia and Pacific Affairs announced that the United States and Taiwan " are establishing a new bilateral economic dialogue". In addition to having outlined the recently declassified security guarantees between Washington and Taipei.
Finally, Reuters wrote yesterday that two American bombers approached Chinese territory on 21 July. The intent was to show China the US military might. A spokeswoman for the Pacific Air Forces, Captain Veronica Perez, told Reuters that the US Air Force has increased communication on its bomber missions. The aim is to secure allies and partners of Washington's commitment to global security and regional stability in the free and open Indo-Pacific.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/come-e-perche-lo-sviluppo-militare-della-cina-preoccupa-il-pentagono/ on Wed, 02 Sep 2020 13:11:41 +0000.