US Warns Of China ‘Training For Strikes’

Chinese Su-35 jets on patrol over South China Sea . PICTURE: PA 

The Pentagon's annual report to Congress: ‘Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2018’ says China’s armed forces “are undergoing the most comprehensive restructure in its history to become a force capable of conducting complex joint operations.”

A major area of concern is Taiwan, which China regards as a ‘renegade province’.

While the reports says China advocates peaceful reunification with Taiwan, China has never repudiated the use of military force, and continues to develop and deploy advanced military capabilities needed for a potential military campaign.

In 1979 US lawmakers passed a bill that compels the US government to help in Taiwan’s defence.

The Pentagon says China’s military modernisation targets capabilities with the potential to degrade core US operational and technological advantages.

The report also says China is seeking to use its growing economic, diplomatic, and military clout to dominate the Asia-Pacific region and expand the country’s international influence.

As an example, it points to a dispute with South Korea in 2017 where China tried to use economic and diplomatic pressure in a failed effort to stop the deployment of US-made surface-to-air-missiles, following a ballistic missile test by North Korea.

China is already in disputes with neighbours over its claims of sovereignty over vast areas of the South China Sea. These tensions have been heightened as China seeks to fortify some of the islands as military outposts, which the report says furthers China’s goal of effectively controlling disputed areas.