China building offensive, aggressive military, top US Pacific commander says

China is assembling an increasingly offensive military and expanding its regional footprint, as Beijing steps up efforts to supplant American military power in Asia, a top US commander warned Congress on Tuesday. "I cannot for the life of me understand some of the capabilities that they're putting in the field unless it is an aggressive posture," Adm. Philip Davidson, the head of US Indo-Pacific Command, said in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"I see them developing systems, capabilities and a posture that would indicate that they're interested in aggression," Davidson said. Davidson, who in the hearing defended budget requests for billions of dollars of new weaponry in the Pacific, said the increased investment was necessary to deter Chinese military ambition in the region.

Describing China as "the greatest long-term strategic threat to security in the 21st century" Davidson said Beijing has been carrying out increasingly threatening moves, citing Chinese military activity around Taiwan, along its disputed border with India and even around US islands in the Pacific.

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