In a shocking claim, a top official of US intelligence has said China is rapidly building a robust lethal force with advanced capabilities in the air, space, cyberspace and at sea that will enable it to impose its will in the region and beyond. Speaking to reporters, Dan Taylor, Senior Defense Intelligence Analyst, said, "The strategic objectives of the Chinese Communist Party include securing China's status as a great power."
He was addressing a Pentagon news conference on the occasion of release of a Congressionally-mandated report "China: Military power modernising a force to fight and win" by the Department of Defense. According to Taylor, Chinese leaders characterised their long-term military modernisation programme as essential to achieving the great power status. "Indeed, China is rapidly building a robust lethal force with capabilities spanning the ground, air, maritime, space and information domains, designed to enable Beijing to impose its will in the region and beyond," the official said.
"During the past decade, from counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, to an expanded military presence in the East and South China Seas, China has demonstrated a willingness to use the People's Liberation Army (PLA) as an instrument of national power in the execution of what they call their historic mission in the new century," Taylor added.
