China aims to surpass American global influence by 2049, says Pentagon report

According to the Pentagon`s report titled Military and Security Development Involving the People`s Republic of China, 2021, this strategy can be characterised as a determined pursuit of far-ranging efforts to expand China`s national power.

Image courtesy: Reuters

Washington: A Pentagon report on Wednesday said that China through its national strategy aims to achieve "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" by 2049 to match or surpass US global influence and power, displace US alliances and security partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region. It said that China also aims to revise the international order to be more advantageous to Beijing`s authoritarian system and national interests, according to an ANI report.

The Pentagon`s report titled Military and Security Development Involving the People`s Republic of China, 2021, said that this strategy can be characterised as a determined pursuit of far-ranging efforts to expand China`s national power.

Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Beijing continued its efforts to advance its overall development including steadying its economic growth, strengthening its armed forces, and taking a more assertive role in global affairs, the report stated.

It further said that in response to both long and short-term economic trends, the CCP unveiled a new economic strategic task, or a new "development pattern," called "dual circulation".

Beijing has characterised China`s view of strategic competition in terms of a rivalry among powerful nation-states, as well as a clash of opposing ideological systems.

China views the US as increasingly determined to contain Beijing, creating potential obstacles to its strategy. Additionally, the Chinese leaders are increasingly willing to confront the US and other countries in areas where interests diverge.

It further added that the Communist regime`s strategy aims to realise "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation". This objective, which President Xi Jinping calls "the Chinese Dream," is a national aspiration to restore Beijing to a position of strength, prosperity, and leadership on the world stage.

Pentagon report on Chinese missile development programme 

According to the report, China may try to use aspects of the S-400 surface-to-air missile (SAM) system it began receiving from Russia in 2018 to reverse-engineer capabilities it lacks.

China in 2020 fielded its first missile with a hypersonic glide vehicle and advanced its scramjet engine development, which has applications in hypersonic cruise missiles, the Pentagon said, adding that China produces a wide range of missiles--ballistic, cruise, air-to-air, and surface-to-air--for the PLA and for export.

The Chinese Navy revealed during its 70th-anniversary celebration in April 2019 that its new guided-missile cruiser can employ long-range land-attack cruise missiles. Within the past 2 years, Beijing made its first sale of a surface-to-air missile system to a European nation, Serbia, the report stated.

Beijing is developing a ramjet-powered air to air missile in addition to the beyond-visual-range PL-15, which was featured at the 2018 airshow in Zhuhai. Beijing`s space industry, historically managed by the PLA, is rapidly expanding its intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, navigation, and communication satellite constellations, the report read.

China, the top ship-producing nation in the world by tonnage, is increasing its shipbuilding capacity and capability for all naval classes, including submarines, warships, and transport and amphibious ships. 

The report said that Beijing domestically produces naval gas turbine and diesel engines, as well as almost all shipboard weapons and electronic systems for its shipbuilding sector, making the sector nearly self-sufficient for all shipbuilding needs.

China`s production capacity is improving in nearly every category of PLA ground systems, including armoured personnel carriers, assault vehicles, air defence artillery systems, artillery systems and pieces, and main and light battle tanks, the report added.

China, however, said that the recent Pentagon report is full of prejudice and disregarded facts that claimed Beijing is rapidly expanding the number of its nuclear delivery platforms.

Citing the Global Times report, an ANI report quoted the Chinese Foreign Ministry`s spokesperson Wang Wenbin as saying that the US hyping up China`s "nuclear threat" is nothing but a trick to manipulate words and confuse the public which the international community is fully aware of.

(With Agency Inputs)