RUMORS OF WAR: Admiral warns US must prepare for possibility of war with China

RUMORS OF WAR: Admiral warns US must prepare for possibility of war with China

The Navy admiral nominated to be the next US ambassador to Australia has told Congress America must prepare for the possibility of war with China and said it would rely on Australia to help uphold the international rules-based system in the Asia-Pacific. In an excoriating assessment of China’s increasingly muscular posture in the region, Harry Harris said Beijing’s “intent is crystal clear” to dominate the South China Sea and that its military might could soon rival American power “across almost every domain”.
Harris, soon to retire as the head of US Pacific Command in Hawaii, told the House armed services committee, the US and its allies should be wary of Beijing’s military expansionism in the region and condemned China’s foreign influence operations, predatory economic behavior and coercion of regional neighbors. “China’s intent is crystal clear. We ignore it at our peril,” he said. “I’m concerned China will now work to undermine the international rules-based order.” READ MORE