Pentagon would review its strategy toward China, according to United States President Joe Biden.
United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday said that the Pentagon would review its strategy toward China, looking at pivotal areas including technology, intelligence, and Washington’s military footprint in the region.
The review would be among several others the Pentagon was already carrying out, ranging from troops in the Middle East to policy toward North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
In a report on Inquirer, both China and the United States were at loggerheads over issues from human rights and technology to Chinese military activities in the disputed South China Sea, with each accusing the other of deliberately provocative behavior.
Under the administration of former US President Donald Trump, the Pentagon made countering China its top priority, something Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had signaled would continue.
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Biden, speaking during a visit to the Pentagon, said that Austin had briefed him on a new China task force that will look at the military’s strategy related to China.
According to Biden, China and issues related to it will require government agencies working together, along with bipartisan support in Congress and strong alliances.
“That’s how we’ll meet the China challenge,” Biden said, flanked by Austin and United States Vice President Kamala Harris.
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Inquirer also reported that a US official — speaking on condition of anonymity — said that a 15-member task force will be created at the Pentagon in order to review the strategy and present recommendations within four months.
Two US carrier groups conducted joint exercises in the South China Sea earlier this week as China accused the US of damaging peace and stability.
The United States had contested China’s extensive territorial claims in the region, accusing China of militarizing the South China Sea and trying to intimidate neighbors such as the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam, which had claims that overlapped with China’s in the resource-rich area.
However, officials said that recent interactions between American and Chinese forces in the South China Sea had been safe and professional.
It was US President Joe Biden’s first visit to the Pentagon since his January 20 inauguration as the President of the United States.
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