Not at all. You are mistaken; China's military buildup spans the last 20 years, not just the past decade. Furthermore, it has slow down since 2016 when compared to the period from 2000 to 2016. You are also not understanding that the buildup pertains to military modernization and competency. Essentially, China is striving not to lag behind the US and other advanced military nations, all of which are experiencing modernization and advancement in their military capabilities as well. If you wish to delve deeper into these discussions, go beyond superficial words and infuse more depth into your post, including references. https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentar...a-strengthening-its-military-its-not-all.html
from your link: Surging defense budgets have yielded an increasingly lethal and capable PLA. U.S. officials have steadily warned of an eroding military advantage in the face of rapid PLA gains. During his service, U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Cameron Holt stated that China was acquiring weapons at “five to six times” the rate of the United States. For some, the buildup alone provides reasons to fear conflict. Observers point to the rapid modernization as unambiguous evidence that China is preparing for warwith the United States. In March 2021, Adm. Philip Davidson, then-head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, warned that China could take military action against Taiwan by 2027. Adm. Michael Gilday, the chief of naval operations, added that he can't rule out a Chinese attempt to invade as early as 2023. I'm not one who necessarily believes China is preparing to go to war directly with the US, but they are definitely preparing for an invasion of Taiwan. If and when that invasion occurs, there is little in current US defense posture, short of Nukes, that can stop it. Having secured (successfully invaded) the island, they are building a force that is more than capable of defending their gains against any conventional attempt by the west to retake the island.
on noes ... China spends $225 billion a year on its military. The US spends $877 billion a year on its military. How will the US be able to keep up?
Also from link: In conclusion, China's military buildup owes to a variety of political and security drivers. The buildup does not by itself indicate a drive to war. Indeed, there currently remains no evidence China plans to attack Taiwan any time soon. To best protect U.S. interests, decisionmakers could maintain a balanced view of China's military buildup and regard the technological, economic, and diplomatic dimensions of U.S.-China competition as of equal or greater importance to the military dimension. China has consistently been prepared for a potential invasion of Taiwan, maintaining the option to act if Taiwan moves towards complete independence. This stance has persisted for decades, and the positions of both Taiwan and the US have remained unchanged—nothing substantially new. The primary reason for China refraining from invading Taiwan isn't solely the US deterrent; rather, it is rooted in their own economic interests and global standing. An invasion would pose an economic disaster for China, and they have stated that such action would be considered if Taiwan claims complete independence. Both Taiwan and the US are aware of this, and despite the strong language used, they are cautious not to cross that red line. Contrary to Biden's claims, if China were to invade Taiwan, the POTUS cannot unilaterally come to Taiwan's defense. Any military involvement for Taiwan's defense would constitute a clear act of war, and the power to enter a war lies with Congress, not the POTUS. Both China and the US are cognizant of this fact. While the US issues political statements, they have deliberately left the option to not engage. If there were a genuine commitment to defend Taiwan, Congress would need to draft resolutions granting the POTUS the authority to do so. However, such resolutions have not been put forth. Despite discussions among some members of Congress, there has been no meaningful progress. The tough rhetoric persists, but the US has not demonstrated a serious intent to empower the POTUS with the ultimate authority to engage in a war with China. This has been the case for decades—nothing substantially new. The best prevention of an invasion is steady diplomatic relations and strong economic dependencies between the US, China, and the rest of the world, regardless of the non-military conflicts between the US and China. Biden has so far done a pretty darn good job here, with a helping hand from Xi for being an ineffective leader.
From Breaking Defense: US clears $2.4B deal with Japan for hundreds of Tomahawk missiles, systems The announced potential sale to Tokyo comes days after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met military leaders in the Indo-Pacific. By LEE FERRAN on November 17, 2023 at 3:53 PM Spoiler WASHINGTON — The US State Department today approved the potential sale of hundreds of Raytheon-made Tomahawk missiles and associated systems to Japan for $2.4 billion. Japan had requested to buy 400 missiles — 200 Block IV All Up Rounds and 200 Block V — as well as 14 control systems, plus software, hardware, training and other add-ons. “The proposed sale will improve Japan’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing a long range, conventional surface-to-surface missile with significant standoff range that can neutralize growing threats. Japan will have no difficulty absorbing these articles into its armed forces,” says a public notice on the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s website. The announcement comes as the Biden administration pursues parallel strategies in the Indo-Pacific: that of healing some of the strained relations with China while investing heavily in American allies in the region to counter Beijing’s aggression there. Both were on display in recent days as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with the military chiefs of South Korea and Japan in Asia last week, and President Joe Biden hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a historic visit at the White House ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit this week in San Francisco. Earlier this week the State Department approved two other major potential sales for missiles for South Korea. One proposal was for $650 million-worth of Raytheon’s Standard Missile 6 Block 1, and the other for $52 million in AIM-9X Block II and Block II+ Sidewinders, also made by Raytheon. The unit numbers and dollar values of all these deals are subject to change as negotiations continue, and Congress, too, could always step in to block the deals — though broad agreement about the strategic threat of China on Capitol Hill, plus America’s relationship with Japan, makes that unlikely. (below is from Wikipedia) Tomahawk Block V was introduced in 2021 with improvements to navigation and in-flight targeting. Block Va, the Maritime Strike Tomahawk (MST) which allows the missile to engage a moving target at sea, and Block Vb outfitted with the JMEWS warhead for hard-target penetration, will be released after the initial batch of Block V is delivered in March 2021.[35] All Block IV Tomahawks will be converted to Block V standard, while the remaining Block III missiles will be retired and demilitarized.[36] Tomahawk Block V have longer range and dynamic targeting with the capability to hit vessels at sea (maritime strike role). Raytheon is recertifying and modernizing the missile, extending its service life by 15 years, and resulting in the new Tomahawk Block V series: Block V: A modernized TACTOM with upgraded navigation and communication Block VA: Block V, capable of hitting moving targets at sea at a distance of 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) Block VB: Block V, with a joint multi-effects warhead that can hit more diverse land targets.[35] https://breakingdefense.com/2023/11...an-for-hundreds-of-tomahawk-missiles-systems/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomahawk_(missile)
cool. Spoiler I have a hard time seeing Japan go to war with China, even with US involvement, over Taiwan
