Dual‑use ports, runways, and telecom lines in 10 Pacific nations could help the PLA leapfrog U.S. defenses and threaten shipping between Hawaii and Australia.
The communist regime’s military drills appear to have been a hastily arranged show, according to some analysts, who suggest old videos were used for publicity.
U.S. officials and defense analysts have long believed the communist regime’s reported budget captures only a fraction of its true spending on the armed forces.