- The American public needs to know that now is the time to do something about China’s strengthening position, William McRaven says
- Council on Foreign Relations report says Asian rival’s abilities are approaching – and surpassing – those of the US
A retired United States Navy admiral who headed special operations when Osama bin Laden was assassinated said China's advances in technology and defence had been a wake-up call to the United States.
William McRaven told an event staged by the Council on Foreign Relations think tank on Wednesday that China's powers were quickly approaching " and sometimes surpassing " those of the US.
"We need to make sure that the American public knows that now is the time to do something," McRaven said, adding that China's rapidly increasing research and development in technology posed a threat to US national security.
McRaven's address came as the council released a report saying China was emerging as the most significant rival to the US, and in areas such as the commercialisation of fifth-generation (5G) communications, had surpassed it.
The report said China could convert technological advances into "military capabilities faster than its potential adversaries".
China and the US have been locked in competition over the future of 5G, with Washington lobbying allies about the danger of "back doors" that may be hidden in Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei's equipment that could be used for espionage.
From hacking and theft of intellectual property to incursions in the South China Sea, China was now asserting itself in the Pacific and intended to compete militarily with the US, the report said.
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"China is investing significant resources in developing new technologies, and after 2030 it is likely to be the world's largest spender on research and development," it said.
"Although Beijing's efforts to become a scientific power could help drive global growth and prosperity, and both the United States and China have benefited from bilateral investment and trade, Chinese theft of intellectual property and its market-manipulating industrial policies threaten US economic competitiveness and national security."
In April, official news agency Xinhua said China was stepping up the pace of research and development.
The Academy of Military Science, the military's leading research body, announced that it had recruited 248 technology experts from across the services to focus efforts on artificial intelligence, national defence and civilian-military cooperation.
Military and research budgets continued to increase this year despite slowing economic growth.
In March, a Credit Suisse report said China lagged far behind the US in producing hi-tech "unicorns" " privately held companies with valuations of more than US$1 billion " in artificial intelligence, robotics and biotech as it was still playing catch-up in scientific research.
As US-China rivalry hots up, what does the future hold for Southeast Asian security and the South China Sea?
Collin Koh, a research fellow at the Maritime Security Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies based at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said that although China might have caught up with the US in the sophistication of its kinetic weaponry, its defence electronics were behind.
"I believe a technology race (between China and the US) is inevitable, and we are already seeing signs of it taking place in some areas " for example hypersonic weapons and space programmes. But it's not straightforward that such a race necessarily destabilises regional peace and security," Koh said.
"The race may feed into mutual suspicions and insecurities that may sharpen the rivalry. It may also result in the increased risk of accidental or inadvertent clashes when increasingly hi-tech forces of both sides operate with greater frequency in the same space.
"However, politically it's plausible to surmise that both powers recognise the potential risks of destabilisation and therefore, because of the desire to avoid confrontation, seek to prevent or mitigate such eventualities."
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