China rapidly strengthening military capabilities, expanding access to foreign ports: US report

The robust lethal force for which the country is working speedily, will enable it to impose its will in the region and beyond, a top US defense official said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping/ (Photo by Mark Schiefelbein / POOL / AFP)

New Delhi: China is speedily strengthening it defence capabilities in all spheres including air, sea, space and cyberspace, a top US intelligence official has asserted. The neighboring country which is rapidly is building a robust lethal force, will be able to impose its will in the region and beyond. The US Department of Defense released a Congressional-mandated report “China: Military power modernizing a force to fight and win". During the press conference on the occasion, Dan Taylor, Senior Defense Intelligence Analyst, told reporters “"The strategic objectives of the Chinese Communist Party include securing China's status as a great power." New agency PTI quoted Taylor as saying "Indeed, China is rapidly building a robust lethal force with capabilities spanning the ground, air, maritime, space and information domains, designed to enable Beijing to impose its will in the region and beyond.” Taylor remarked that the People’s Liberation Army - the military arm of the Chinese Communist Party, is being used by China as an instrument of national power in the execution of “historic mission in the new century.” Improvements in PLA equipment and capabilities that have focused on generating combat power, now present Beijing with additional response options as China faces increasingly global security concerns, he said. Advancement expected in these areas: The developing defence capabilities focus on expected future advances in areas like nuclear deterrence, power projection, cyberspace, space and electromagnetic spectrum operations. As per Taylor, China is also developing capabilities for what they call “non-war missions”, which include humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, counter-piracy and other such things. China’s developing military equipment: The report said that China is developing new medium-and long –range stealth bombers capable of striking regional and global targets. Such planes will likely reach initial operational capability by about 2025. The PLA will acquire advanced fighter aircraft, modern naval vessels, missile systems, and space and cyberspace assets as it reorganises and trains to address the threats of 21st century further from China's shores. China is expanding its access to foreign ports: Pentagon China is expanding its access to foreign ports, like Gwadar in Pakistan, to pre-position the logistic framework necessary to support the growing presence of its military in the Indian Ocean and beyond, the Pentagon said in a report. The Chinese Army's efforts to obtain access to commercial ports in Africa, the Middle-East, and South Asia would align with its future overseas logistic needs and meet its evolving naval requirements, said the Congressional mandated report. (with inputs from PTI)