Beijing has the upper hand in the Western Pacific, a former US Army vice chief of staff has warned
The US would be at a disadvantage if it engaged in a direct military confrontation with China over Taiwan, former Vice Chief of Staff of the US Army Jack Keane has suggested.
China possesses “more ships, more airplanes, [and] more offensive and defensive missiles than the United States” in the Western Pacific, Keane claimed on Friday in comments to Fox News, where he works as a senior strategic analyst.
The retired general predicted, however, that Beijing would likely opt for a different strategy whereby it would attempt to bring Taiwan under control by imposing a total blockade.
The retired general argued that China could prevail “without firing a shot,” rather than getting involved in a costly confrontation. To ensure that outcome, the leadership in Beijing would need to establish control over Taiwan’s airspace as well as sea lanes, Keane suggested.
The US would be well advised to beef up its “deterrence capability” in the region to “prevent a war,” the retired general added. To this end, Keane stated that Washington should increase weapons production as well as double down on arming Taipei.