Commander warns US lawmakers about China’s growing military strength in Indo-Pacific
- Admiral Philip Davidson says a key to Washington’s efforts to counter China is the Quad: the alliance between the US, Japan, India and Australia
- ‘Our No 1 job is to keep the peace, but we absolutely must be ready to fight and win should competition turn to conflict,’ he tells Senate committee
Unable to match the pace of China’s military budget increases, the Pentagon needs to restructure and work more closely with allies to improve efficiency and otherwise counter Beijing’s growing assertiveness, the nation’s top Pacific naval commander told Congress on Tuesday.
Comments by Admiral Philip Davidson, head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, follow China’s announced 6.8 per cent increase in its 2021 military budget and President Xi Jinping’s urging on Tuesday that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) be “prepared to respond” to complex and difficult security challenges.
In comparison, the US military budget, which is more than twice as large as China’s, has risen less than 1 per cent over 2020 levels.
“The Communist Party of China promotes a closed and authoritarian system through internal oppression and external aggression,” Davidson told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Our No 1 job is to keep the peace, but we absolutely must be ready to fight and win should competition turn to conflict.”
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The Pentagon is reviewing its strategy in the region, and the admiral was invited to testify before the committee to discuss military spending and priorities.