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[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Mark Esper, U.S. Secretary of Defense, revealed in an article contributed to a U.S. local media outlet that the Department of Defense is preparing to respond to the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Currently, China's 5th generation mobile communication (5G) is the main target of sanctions, but he emphasized the position of continuing pressure on China to ensure that the U.S. maintains superiority in all military-related fields, including hypersonic weapons and missile defense. Regardless of whether the Democratic or Republican party wins the upcoming U.S. presidential election, it is highly likely that pressure on China will continue. This is why Esper's remarks on pressure cannot be taken lightly.

Esper expresses concern over China's military modernization

The direction of the U.S. pressure on China can be read from Esper's article. On the 25th (local time), in an article contributed to the U.S. Wall Street Journal (WSJ), he stated, "On the 1st of this month, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, declared on the 93rd anniversary of the People's Liberation Army that they will modernize the PLA by 2035 and build a world-class military by 2049," adding, "This clearly reminds us that a new era of global competition between the U.S. and China has begun." He expressed concern over China's military modernization.

He continued, "The U.S. Department of Defense will study the People's Liberation Army as it studied the former Soviet Army in the 20th century, and to respond to this, it will modernize the U.S. military and develop the capability to overwhelm and deter China in all domains including air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace," he emphasized.

Secretary Esper said, "To overwhelm China, the Department of Defense will invest in cutting-edge technologies such as 5G communications, integrated air and missile defense, artificial intelligence, and hypersonic weapons, all of which are crucial to maintaining our military's advantage that is decades ahead of China," adding, "This is not something the U.S. can bear alone; it requires the help and solidarity of allies. Recently, New Zealand and the United Kingdom's decision to exclude Huawei from their 5G network projects is a representative example of our solidarity."

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Esper's article is interpreted as following the bipartisan 'Pacific Deterrence Initiative' presented earlier in May by the U.S. Congress. The Pacific Deterrence Initiative calls for a significant military buildup in the Indo-Pacific region to counter the threat posed by China's military modernization and the narrowing military gap with the U.S. According to The Washington Post (WP), this matter has been pursued for five years by the National Defense Strategy Commission (NDSC), a bipartisan body within the U.S. Congress. The NDSC recently warned in a report that "the U.S. military superiority in the Asia region is weakening to a dangerous level, and there is a possibility that U.S. forces could be defeated in a localized conflict in Asia."

Huawei sanctions also consider military aspects

The Huawei sanctions mentioned by Secretary Esper are interpreted in the U.S. not only as concerns over personal data leaks but also as sanctions considered from a military perspective. The U.S. House Intelligence Committee previously submitted a report to Congress in 2012 titled 'Investigation of National Security Issues Posed by Huawei and ZTE.' The report stated, "Huawei does not disclose its corporate structure and decision-making processes externally and is subordinated to the Chinese government to receive state support," adding, "China has the means, opportunity, and motive to use its telecommunications companies for malicious purposes."

According to Forbes, U.S. intelligence agencies view the actual owners of Chinese telecom companies such as Huawei and ZTE as Chinese authorities. These companies have been deployed in building surveillance systems for residents, including facial recognition and surveillance cameras in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. They are known to have played an essential role in the Chinese Communist Party's internet censorship and control system, including the Golden Shield project.

Since the U.S.'s tough stance on China is being pursued bipartisanship by both the Democratic and Republican parties, it is expected that pressure and sanctions on China will continue even if the administration changes after the November election. China's state-run Global Times commented on the 21st, right after the Democratic National Convention, stating, "The Democratic Party's China policy will also maintain a hardline stance," warning that "If former Vice President Biden is elected, he may pursue a completely different strategy from the Trump administration, such as restoring the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to check China," cautioning that China should not lower its guard.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.