Corruption within China’s military has led to the replacement of top leaders and could hamper the country’s efforts to modernize its military forces, according to a Pentagon report, which Beijing called “biased” on Thursday.
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In 2023, the Chinese military “experienced a new wave of corruption investigations and dismissals of senior leaders that may have disrupted its progress toward its stated modernization goals for 2027,” notes this annual report, mandated by the US Congress. on Chinese military and security developments.
“Between July and December 2023, at least 15 high-ranking military officers and defense industry executives were dismissed,” the document, published Wednesday, said.
“Several leaders under investigation or dismissed for corruption oversaw equipment development projects related to the modernization of the PRC’s nuclear and conventional land-based missile arsenal (People’s Republic of China, Editor’s note),” he adds.
“This is just an excuse to maintain military hegemony (of the United States),” Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, responded Thursday when asked about the report during a press briefing. regular.
“We urge the United States to abandon this typical Cold War mentality and stop sending these irresponsible reports year after year, instead of working to maintain stability between the United States and China” , he added.
The Chinese army, which has been working to modernize for several decades, has nevertheless made progress, particularly in the field of operational nuclear warheads, which have increased from more than 500 last year to more than 600 in 2024, according to the report.
“The expansion of the nuclear force (of Beijing, Editor’s note) will allow it to target more American cities, military installations and command sites than ever before in the event of a nuclear conflict,” he underlines.
The Chinese Air Force is also making progress and “rapidly approaching American technological standards.”
China also has the “first arsenal of hypersonic missiles in the world and has significantly developed its conventional and nuclear hypersonic missile technologies over the past 20 years,” according to the report.
The United States sees China as its most significant challenge, but insists conflict is not inevitable.
Washington seeks to deter Beijing from attacking Taiwan by deploying forces in the Pacific and through a network of allies in the region.
China claims Taiwan as an integral part of its territory and has said it would never renounce the use of force to one day seize it, while the United States has a long-standing agreement with Taipei to provide it with ways to defend yourself.
