Biden unveils Pentagon āChina task forceā to review āchallengeā Beijing poses as US military flexes muscles at its doorstep
Russia Today – Staff – 10 Feb, 2021
President Joe Biden has launched a military task force to assess US policy toward Beijing, vowing to confront the āChina challengeā as he continues his predecessorās naval deployments in the countryās backyard.
Biden announced the new task force during a Pentagon visit on Wednesday, his first to the department, declaring that his administration would āmeet the growing challenges posed by China to keep peace and defend our interests.ā
āIt will require a whole of government efforts, bipartisan cooperation in Congress and strong alliances and partners,ā Biden said of the policy review, which will assess āstrategy and operational concepts, technology, and force posture.ā
“That is how we will meet the China challenge and ensure the American people win the competition of the future.”
Led by Eli Ratner, who serves as special assistant on China to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the task force will be composed of 15 civilian and uniformed defense officials and will deliver its findings to Austin within four months, according to a Pentagon fact sheet, which dubbed the project a āsprint effort.ā The panel is not expected to produce a publicly available report, however.
While Biden said the new task force would conduct a sweeping review of Washingtonās posture toward Beijing, it is unclear to what extent US policy will depart from that of the Donald Trump administration. Taking office just four weeks ago, the new president has already embarked on much of the same sabre rattling as his predecessor, fielding a pair of aircraft carrier strike groups into the South China Sea on Tuesday, and a guided-missile destroyer near the Chinese-controlled Paracel Islands days earlier. Trumpās Pentagon frequently carried out the same type of āfreedom of navigationā missions, repeatedly condemned as provocative by China.
Bidenās first major foreign policy address took a combative stance toward Beijing, who he dubbed Americaās āmost serious competitorā while echoing rhetoric reminiscent of Trumpās on Chinaās alleged āeconomic abusesā and āattackā on intellectual property. In announcing the China task force on Wednesday, the president went even further in his vows to confront Beijing, warning that he would ānever hesitate to use force,ā though nonetheless said military action should be a ālast resort.ā
Posted by Teri Perticone
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