China’s malign behavior, the report states, places the country on a direct trajectory to challenge the ability of the United States to preserve freedom of the seas, deter aggression and win wars.
“We are at an inflection point,” the report states. “Our actions in this decade will shape the maritime balance of power for the rest of this century.”
China already commands the world’s largest naval force — including submarines, aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships — and is continuing to build warships at a pace the authors called “alarming.”
“China’s navy battle force has more than tripled in size in only two decades,” they wrote.