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In some areas of military strength, China has surpassed America
The modernisation of the PLA is proceeding at an extraordinary pace.
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A file photo of people welcoming the Chinese frigate Yantai at Yantai Port in Yantai, China, on April 19.
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
The Economist
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Whoever succeeds US President Joe Biden in the White House on Jan 20 will receive the same simple message from all 18 of America’s intelligence agencies: Russia may be causing mayhem in Europe, but only China has the wherewithal to mount a global challenge.
“Beijing is accelerating the development of key capabilities,” said the coordinating body for American spooks in 2023. Those capabilities, it added, are ones that China “believes the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) needs to confront the United States in a large-scale, sustained conflict”.
