The US has warned that China’s rapid modernisation of the People’s Liberation Army might heighten the military’s confidence in its own capabilities and eventually make the Chinese leadership more willing to risk a regional war, particularly over Taiwan.
The Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency’s 140-page report on Tuesday concluded that two decades of growing defence budgets, a keen focus on non-traditional warfare such as information operations, and reforms of its command and control structures were helping the PLA advance speedily.
A US defence official told Washington-based media that this progress fuelled concerns that Beijing would ultimately cast aside its traditionally cautious approach over potential open armed conflict.