President Obama and Democrats in Congress may be scaling back spending on the U.S. military — but China is not.
China has commissioned the building of 17 new warships in the past year, more than any other government in the world, The Associated Press reported. In less than a decade, the country is projecting it will have three new aircraft carriers.
That’s a significant boost to Chinese naval power that military analysts say will only add fuel to the fire when it comes to the country’s ongoing territorial disputes — like the Senkaku islands — with other nations, AP reported.
China still has a ways to go in terms of matching America’s military strength and U.S. military spending. But the fact that communist country is spending at a time when America is cutting leaves some with questions about the White House’s commitment to its Asian shift.
Against this backdrop, Mr. Obama has made a sweep through the region, in part to assure Japan that the United States stands firmly on its side when it comes to the Senkaku islands. The dispute has strained relations between Japan and China and put America firmly in the diplomatic middle.
Mr. Obama is also trying to keep together a trade pact that involves 12 different nations.
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In Asia on Wednesday, and speaking of this trade treaty, Mr. Obama said, “We want to continue to encourage the peaceful rise of China,” Breitbart reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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