Eight-plus years of deterioration through the Obama years and previous administrations and the turning of a blind eye to China have allowed it to rise and put America in jeopardy. The Chinese military has been on par with American capability for at least half of Obama’s term and is now cemented. America is now having to play catch-up, which will buy the PLA at least another four to eight years of time to get ahead and become even more entrenched.
Let one thing be clear: China isn’t pushing America out of the Asia-Pacific… it already has. It won’t be regained without a bloodbath.
China’s military power should not be underestimated according to experts [Getty]
US COMMANDERS are in fear of conflict with China because of the likelihood the Asian powerhouse would win, it has been claimed.
Donald Trump’s heavy handed approach to the South China sea – a billion dollar trade route – has angered his counterpart in beijing.
While the White House insists it must have a say over the resource-rich stretch of sea, experts are warning he has bitten off more than he can chew with China.
A missile-packed military fortress surrounds China which has cleverly constructed islands which work as stationary aircraft carriers under the leadership of Xi Jinping.
The fortified islands are designed to shoot planes out of the sky – and sink approaching war ships.
The sheer size of the kill zone has caused extreme concern for US commanders.
…
“Some China-watchers have said that China plays Go (a game of position), while America tends to be a poker player — daring its opponents to call its bets,” Commander Thomas Shugart, a submarine warfare officer in the US Navy said.
“By staking out its bold new positions in the South China Sea, China’s goal may be to up the ante to a point where the United States is faced with a tough choice: put a pile of chips on the table and risk huge losses or fold up its cards and go home.
“The United States should do what it takes now to ensure that the game doesn’t get to that point.”
…
Artificial islands built by China, and contested by its neighbours, each contain a 10,000 foot runaway, deep water harbours for warships, and hangers for fighters, bombers, and spy aircraft.
One island – Mischief Reef – is almost as big as Washington, DC.
Now, China is been hoping to create “floating” nuclear power plants.
“The potential combination of China’s premier anti-ship and anti-air capabilities — along with the sheer, breathtaking scale of China’s island-building — call for serious consideration of the faux islands’ potential impact to US diplomacy and contingency planning, as well as the need to take all possible measures to prevent their full militarisation,” said Commander Shugart.
…
Commander Shugart said the missile are likely in place- and ready to be fired.
“China would now be able to strike, with either DF-21C land-attack ballistic missiles or CJ-10 cruise missiles, US and allied facilities and airfields throughout the Philippines and even to Singapore,” he said.”
“Those who lead the Peoples’ Liberation Army are not fools. They will take measures to ensure their bases have a chance of surviving in combat long enough to matter.”
“China’s island bases are being built from scratch in the era of precision strike and are therefore able to have appropriate countermeasures ‘baked in’ from the start.”
…
Steve Bannon, White House chief strategist, said: “We’re going to war in the South China Sea in five to 10 years.”
“There’s no doubt about that. They’re taking their sandbars and making basically stationary aircraft carriers and putting missiles on those.
“They come here to the US in front of our face – and you understand how important face is – and say it’s an ancient territorial sea.”
Full article: WORLD WAR III? US fears China will win any conflict because strength of Red Army’s fleet (Express)
Global Geopolitics 