China threatens to blunt US military edge, Pentagon warns
- China’s growing international reach is adding to mistrust and fuelling US fears of being replaced as world leader, observers say
The Pentagon has warned that China’s military modernisation has the potential to erode core US advantages in technology and operations.
The warning was issued on Thursday in its annual report on developments in the Chinese armed forces, a document that also cautioned about China’s ambitions in the Arctic and the risks presented by Beijing’s “influence operations”.
“China conducts influence operations against cultural institutions, media organisations and the business, academic, and policy communities of the United States, other countries and international institutions to achieve outcomes favourable to its security and military strategy objectives,” the report said.
“Over the coming decades, they [China’s leaders] are focused on realising a powerful and prosperous China that is equipped with a ‘world-class’ military, securing China’s status as a great power with the aim of emerging as the pre-eminent power in the Indo-Pacific region.”
While the report singled out various programmes designed to help realise those ambitions, it also said Beijing had eased off on the public hard sell.