CHINA-US: LATEST US DEFENCE DEPARTMENT ASSESSMENT WARNS OF CHINA'S DEFENCE CAPABILITY

A new assessment of China’s military power published by the department’s Defense Intelligence Agency suggests that Beijing is building up its military capabilities so that it will have a range of options to attack Taiwan if it decides to—and potentially the United States if it intervenes militarily.  A senior defense official told reporters (January 16) that the Pentagon is also concerned about China’s growing military presence far from its borders, including in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. He said the Defense Department is particularly worried that this increase in capability makes a regional conflict more likely with the most likely target being Taiwan. He added that leaders of the People’s Liberation Army might inform Chinese President Xi Jinping sometime soon that they are confident in their capability to take on both Taiwan and the U.S. Navy. Elbridge Colby, the director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security, said the change in the Pentagon’s assessment of the risk to Taiwan is “very significant”—particularly because for China, taking on Taiwan means taking on the U.S. Navy. “A change in the assessment on Taiwan would be very significant, particularly if they believe the Chinese think they might be able to use force and achieve their objectives and either seize or suborn the island,” said Colby, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development from 2017 to 2018.







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