‘Challenges for China’ in call for bigger US defence budget by Mark Esper

American defence chief’s request for Indo-Pacific focus shows that Washington sees Beijing as the enemy, analyst says

China must ‘forge stronger ties with its neighbours’ and be prepared for conflict

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US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper says the United States must increase military spending to meet challenges from China. Photo: USA TODAY

Published: 10:00pm, 16 Oct 2020Updated: 2:40am, 17 Oct 2020

China has to revamp its Indo-Pacific strategy amid signs of greater military confrontation from the United States, observers said.

The assessments came after US Defence Secretary Mark Esper urged Washington to increase defence spending and enable American troops to be rapidly deployed for deterrence.

In two speeches on Thursday – one at The Heritage Foundation and the other at the 2020 Association of the US Army Conference – Esper said China and Russia had become “near-peer rivals” of the US and adequate budgets were needed to face the challenges.

“I would like to see 3-5 per cent annual real growth for the Defence Department to stay ahead of the challenges we face, especially from China,” he said.

Chinese sailors on the deck of a type 054A guided missile frigate in Manila's South Harbor. Esper said China and Russia had become “near-peer rivals” of the US and adequate budgets were needed to face the challenges. Photo: AP

“The department’s vision for readiness is one in which our people are focused on great power competition from day one, and trained to deter and prevail in the high-end fight, while able to perform across the full spectrum of combat operations.”

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