China is rapidly narrowing the military power gap with the United States in the Indo-Pacific region, according to a new ranking by Australia's Lowy Institute think tank. China under President
Xi Jinping has outlined its goal of building a "world-class" military by 2049 and continues strengthening its regional posture while acquiring capabilities designed to raise the cost of U.S. intervention in a potential conflict.
In response, the United States has increased the pace of joint
military exercises and expanded arms sales and deployments to regional partners—steps Beijing warns are destabilizing.
Still, some in Washington argue current policy lacks coherence, especially regarding flashpoints like the Taiwan Strait and
China's territorial disputes with U.S. treaty ally the Philippines in the South China Sea.
