12 Feb. 2021 12:51 o’clock
The Task Force on China will make recommendations to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin so that the US government can embark on a strong path forward on China-related matters, said Joe Biden on his first visit to the Pentagon as president.
–
At his Joe Biden announced his first visit to the Pentagon as President on Wednesday the formation of a China Task Force. He was signaling his intention to make Beijing’s rise the military’s top priority, it said Politico. The task force on China will make recommendations to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Biden said, “so that we can have a strong path forward on matters related to China.” The China strategy should include military and technological issues as well as alliance policy, said the new president.
“The Task Force will work quickly and rely on civilian and military experts across the department to make recommendations to Secretary Austin on key priorities and decision-making points over the next few months to help us embark on a strong path on China affairs. ”
“China presents us with growing challenges that we must meet in order to maintain peace and defend our interests in the Indo-Pacific region and worldwide,” said Biden in a speech at the Pentagon on Wednesday.
–
–
–
–
Ely Ratner, a longtime Biden advisor and Asia expert whom Austin appointed as his special advisor on China affairs, will develop a “national security strategy” with a view to China as part of a task force of up to 15 members, according to the Department of Defense. The task force will deliver final findings and recommendations to Austin and Assistant Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks over the next four months.
Biden also recently spoke to China’s President Xi Jinping for the first time as US President. In the phone call, according to the White House, Biden criticized the behavior of the Chinese government. He lamented “unfair economic practices”, “repression” in Hong Kong and “human rights violations” in the Chinese province of Xinjiang. The US President was also critical of China’s dealings with Taiwan. According to official information, Biden and Xi also exchanged views on combating the COVID-19 pandemic as well as on the common challenges of climate change and how to deal with the arms trade.
The youngest Message of the Pentagon over China is said to have triggered an alarm about the rapid deployment of ballistic missiles. It is estimated that the supply of Chinese nuclear warheads will at least double to more than 400 in the next decade.
more on the subject – RusStrat: China offers Russia official military alliance
–
