Posted on 05/31/2025 10:04:46 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
SINGAPORE (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reassured allies in the Indo-Pacific on Saturday that they will not be left alone to face increasing military and economic pressure from China, while insisting that they also contribute more to their own defense.
He said Washington will bolster its defenses overseas to counter what the Pentagon sees as rapidly developing threats by Beijing, particularly in its aggressive stance toward Taiwan. China has conducted numerous exercises to test what a blockade would look like of the self-governing island, which Beijing claims as its own and the U.S. has pledged to defend.
China’s army “is rehearsing for the real deal,” Hegseth said in a keynote speech at a security conference in Singapore. “We are not going to sugarcoat it — the threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent.”
The head of China’s delegation accused Hegseth of making “groundless accusations.”
“Some of the claims are completely fabricated, some distort facts and some are cases of a thief crying ‘stop thief,” said Rear Adm. Hu Gangfeng, vice president of China’s National Defense University. He did not offer specific objections.
“These actions are nothing more than attempts to provoke trouble, incite division and stir up confrontation to destabilize the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.
China has a stated goal of ensuring its military is capable of taking Taiwan by force if necessary by 2027, a deadline that is seen by experts as more of an aspirational goal than a hard war deadline.
China also has built sophisticated, artificial islands in the South China Sea to support new military outposts and developed highly advanced hypersonic and space capabilities, which are driving the United States to create its own space-based “Golden Dome” missile defenses.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
The Chicoms are about as popular with Asians as the Russians are to Europe. The Japanese learned their lesson but the Chinese are bigger. Will the Asian lilliputians help hold down the Chicom Gulliver?
Stupid is as stupid does...
The Chinese have apparently built up a military for a slightly modernized WWII operation. Technology has moved on. If Taiwan has invested in modern mines and remotely controlled vehicles, then the Chinese are in for a huge shock.
All the worrying.
The asian rim countries are more than capable of handling any Red Chinese incursion.
Japan, Taiwan and South Korea alone can force a Red Chinese retreat. Even if North Korea gets involved.
But, unlike the Russian Ukie conflict, we have a vested interest in that region.
If the commie candidate in South Korea wins they’ll have it too, They’ve already infiltrated.
China will encounter a wall of drones, wave after wave after wave.
**The Chinese have apparently built up a military for a WWII operation. Technology has moved on. If Taiwan has invested in modern mines and remotely controlled vehicles, then the Chinese are in for a huge shock.**
I dunno. They’ll have to take out satellite communications first. Then an air assault before a big amphibious attack. Would they risk air transport for the troops?
**China will encounter a wall of drones, wave after wave after wave.**
I would park them in peoples garages.
The US better be paying very close attention to Britain handing over the islands that include Diego Garcia and our major base there, even with a 99 year lease. The Chinese are set to take over the other islands in a heart beat if we do not.
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