'US Would Struggle To Thwart China In Pacific'

The United States no longer has military primacy in the Pacific and could struggle to defend allies against China, a top Australian think tank has warned.

A hard-hitting report from the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney released on Monday said the US military is an "atrophying force" that is "dangerously overstretched" and "ill-prepared" for a confrontation with China.

If correct, the assessment has far-reaching implications for US allies like Australia, Taiwan and Japan who depend on American security guarantees.

The report accused Washington of "strategic insolvency", the authors said decades-long Middle East wars, partisanship and under-investment have left Pacific allies exposed.

"China, by contrast, is growing ever more capable of challenging the regional order by force as a result of its large-scale investment in advanced military systems," they warned.

Under President Xi Jinping, China's official defence budget has increased by around 75 percent to US$178 billion – although the true figure is believed to be much more.

According to the report, "almost all American, allied and partner bases, airstrips, ports and military installations in the Western Pacific" lack hardened infrastructure and are under major threat.

That advantage could be used to seize territory in Taiwan, Japanese-administered islands or the South China Sea before US forces could get there.

Experts believe that the deployment of US land-based missiles and a changed role for the United States Marine Corps will be vital to countering China, as well as collective regional defence – with the likes of Australia and Japan doing more. (AFP)