London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 02, 2025

China military expanding, has global ambitions: Congressional report

China military expanding, has global ambitions: Congressional report

China’s military is rapidly expanding the ability to project power globally and in the coming decade will be capable of waging war far from the homeland, according to a major congressional report.

The People’s Liberation Army has made recent advances in missiles, bombers, transport aircraft, at-sea replenishment and logistics in ways that “significantly improved the PLA’s ability to project power and deploy expeditionary forces far from China’s shores,” the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission concluded Tuesday in its annual report.

“China’s power projection capabilities are developing at a brisk and consistent pace, reflecting the civilian leadership’s determination to transform the PLA into a global expeditionary force in a matter of decades,” the report’s authors said. “By mid-century, the PLA aims to be capable of rapidly deploying forces anywhere in the world.”

China’s growing military might is most advanced in East and Southeast Asia but is moving quickly into the Indian Ocean and as far as the Caribbean and South America.

Carolyn Bartholomew, co-chair of the commission, told reporters during an online meeting on the release of the report that research, including testimony from American intelligence officials, revealed that China over time intends to project military forces far beyond the Indo-Pacific region.

“Within the next 10 to 15 years, Chinese leaders aim to be capable of fighting a limited war overseas to protect its interests in countries participating in China’s Belt and Road Initiative,” she said.

The ruling Communist Party’s adversarial approach toward the United States reached new levels of intensity this year “as China’s leaders have grown increasingly aggressive and antagonistic,” she said, and Beijing is no longer even pretending to abide by international laws and norms.

The 587-page report examines Chinese economic and security threats and makes several recommendations for Congress to counter the challenges. However, the report’s most detailed section focuses on China’s increasing military reach, which involves advanced missiles, warships and warplanes, along with a logistics and basing system stretching from China’s coasts to Southwest Asia, Africa and South America.



‘Serious threat’

The increasing capacity “now presents a serious threat to U.S. allies in East and Southeast Asia, with whom the United States has defense treaties or is required to defend as a result of other security obligations,” the report said.

Any U.S. military response on behalf of allies in the aftermath of a PLA attack must prepare for “the possibility of a costly and protracted conflict,” the report said. “Moreover, growing PLA capabilities will enable the force to contest U.S. interests across the globe.”

“It may not be so farfetched to imagine the PLA someday deploying to defend [Belt and Road] infrastructure, support Beijing’s preferred elites in a coup on an island nation, or prop up authoritarian allies.”

The report also warned that Chinese companies operating in the United States may be buying elements for the PLA logistics network that would enhance Beijing’s military power and ability to wage war overseas.

In the Western Hemisphere, China is seeking military bases and access that could be used to disrupt or distract the U.S. military during a conflict in Asia.

China also is building up space warfare and cyberattack capabilities as part of its global power projection. The report cited the case of a Chinese satellite tracking station in Argentina, built ostensibly for civilian use, that could identify American satellites for targeting by the PLA’s anti-satellite warfare missiles and lasers.

Although retaking the island of Taiwan remains a priority, China’s global ambition is to have the military resources to secure assets and Chinese nationals posted overseas and to protect its access to foreign markets, natural resources and advanced technologies, the report said.

The report warned that significant increases in Chinese military training and patrols near Taiwan are part of intensifying military pressure on the independence-leaning government in Taipei. Recent military flights and warship transits north of Taiwan “suggest the PLA could attack Taiwan from the north or the east, compounding the threat of an invasion on the island’s western side,” the report said.

China also has stepped up aggressive military activities near Japan’s Senkaku Islands, which Beijing claims are part of China.

“China has considerably increased the number of aircraft operating near Japanese territory, ramping up military pressure on Japan during peacetime and improving the PLA’s ability to carry out a range of potential campaigns involving the seizure of the Senkakus,” the report said.

Larry Wortzel, a member of the congressionally authorized commission, said China’s power projection is most pronounced in Asia but is expanding with the growth of China’s military capabilities.

“Those challenges will increase as China masters [weapons] technologies for which the U.S. has been very slow to develop defenses,” he said, including space weapons capable of knocking out satellites, cyberweapons that can disrupt battle management networks and hypersonic missiles that can strike targets rapidly.


Copycat transport

One key indicator of China’s growing military strength is the development of the Y-20 military transport, which the PLA deployed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Y-20 is based on U.S. C-17 transport technology stolen from Boeing Co. during a PLA hacking operation in 2010, according to court documents in the case of Chinese agent Su Bin, who was convicted of the document theft.

The C-17 is the workhorse of U.S. military power projection, and nearly 300 have been built.

China has only 10 Y-20s, first introduced in 2016, but also is using American-made Boeing 777s for military transports, according to the report. The low number of Y-20s currently limits the reach of the PLA’s expeditionary forces, but China is rapidly building more and could have 100 to 400 by 2030, the report said.

China’s precision strike capabilities are improving by the day and will be the “key enabler” of power projection, the commission survey said. China’s force of 1,300 ballistic and cruise missiles already poses a major threat to U.S. forces that would respond to American allies in the region.

China’s first hypersonic missile, the DF-17, was disclosed last year. It has a maximum range of 1,500 miles and “would play an important role in a regional contingency and may already have entered service with PLA operational units in 2020,” the report said.

For its overseas basing network, China has a two-track strategy of using purely military bases and some of the 94 Chinese-owned civilian ports around the world that can double as military facilities.

Its current military bases outside China include just one traditional base at Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa, and new military facilities on disputed islands in the South China Sea.

Beijing planners are considering sites for additional bases, possibly in places such as Cuba and Venezuela, the report said.

A land base for the Chinese military is expected to be set up in Cambodia, which could further shift the balance of power in the region in favor of Beijing. Cambodian officials say the PLA will soon be given access to the country’s Ream naval installation on the Gulf of Thailand, near the massive Chinese-financed Dara Sakor resort and commercial project where China is building an airport.

“If China is able to deploy fighter jets from Dara Sakor in the future, it would enable the PLA to contest U.S. air superiority over the Malacca Strait and into the eastern Indian Ocean,” the report said.

Commission co-Chair Robin Cleveland said China faced its first economic contraction since the 1970s this year as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak but has continued its large-scale theft of intellectual property and data. Ms. Cleveland warned that U.S. investment could be used to bail out sectors of the Chinese economy.

The commission recommended that Congress legislate reciprocity for the bilateral relationship and challenge Beijing’s efforts to exploit the United Nations to support its international economic policies.

The panel also called for making the director of the American Institute in Taiwan the de facto ambassador to the island democracy, a Senate-confirmed position.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
×