Is US Afraid Of China And Russia? | USA vs CHINA and RUSSIA
Channel: World Military Defense
Date: 2019-06-30

Is US afraid of China and Russia?

Beijing has questioned the United States' designation of China and Russia as leading threats to national and international security, finding it contradictory alongside U.S. claims of global military dominance.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang responded Wednesday to White House National Intelligence Director Dan Coats's testimony the previous day at the Capitol, where the former senator argued that Beijing and Moscow were plotting to challenge Washington's influence and undermining democracy worldwide. Geng praised his country's relationship with Russia as being as its "at the best level in history," contending that the two have "safeguarded the peace, security and stability of the region and the world" together.

"The United States is the world's number one power, and its military strength is unparalleled. If even the United States feels that threats are in all directions, what should other countries do?" Geng asked, noting that it appeared Washington was "afraid of a looming threat."

China and Russia have grown closer in recent years over what they jointly view as an expansionist U.S. doctrine harmful to their own agendas at home and abroad. While President Donald Trump initially sought to work more closely with his country's top two military rivals, the first two years of his administration have left the U.S. further alienated from China and Russia.

Last fall, Vostok 2018, the largest military exercise the world has seen since the end of the Cold War, was conducted on the Siberian border between Russia and China. Hundreds of thousands of Russian troops were joined by Chinese soldiers; Joint Russian-Chinese naval exercises are occurring with increasing frequency – not just in the Pacific, but also in the Baltic Sea and the Arctic Ocean.

The U.S., for its part, still maintains a substantial lead in terms of strength, reach and technology, but the federal United States Institute of Peace found in November that the U.S. "might struggle to win, or perhaps lose, a war against China or Russia" and "is particularly at risk of being overwhelmed should its military be forced to fight on two or more fronts simultaneously."

The US is making it clear that Russia is to blame after two warships nearly collided in the Pacific on Friday, but while the incident was another tense military encounter involving the two countries, the fact that it took place in China's backyard is raising concerns about growing cooperation between Moscow and Beijing to challenge US's position as the preeminent global power.
Russia and China have each sought to expand their global reach by challenging American military dominance in the air and at sea. But while both countries are have been getting bolder, evidence suggests they have done so independently.

In addition to asserting that Russia's relationship with China has reached an "unprecedented level," Putin highlighted their shared views on many geopolitical issues, noting the two countries see eye to eye on several geopolitical challenges, including tensions on the Korean Peninsula, in Venezuela and the conflict in Syria.
Xi called the Russian President "a friend," and reiterated Putin's view, saying that "our cooperation is based on mutual trust."

While China and Russia maintain strong ties when it comes to trade, both sides have recently indicated they may be open to working together toward achieving another shared strategic goal -- pushing back against US influence.  

For now, this means the U.S. and its allies must pay attention to the growing cooperation between Russia and China; focus intelligence collection on understanding how far it is likely to go; do all they can to encourage a unified Europe; and strengthen the network of alliances, partnerships and friendships around the periphery of Asia.

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/08/politics/russia-china-partnership/index.html

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-06-10/china-and-russia-want-to-control-the-world-island

https://www.newsweek.com/china-us-powerful-afraid-russia-1312411

COPYRIGHT: Copyright disclaimer under section 107 of the copyright act 1976, allowance is made for 'fair use' for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statue that might otherwise be infringing. Nonprofit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

#USvsChina #USvsChinaAndRussia #USvsRussia