Russia china military
The close military cooperation between Russia and China is cause for great concern, and the authorities in Washington must seriously reconsider its current strategy of "containment" towards the two large Eurasian superpowers.

That's according to Admiral Charles Richard, the commander of United States Strategic Command, who spoke in an online forum discussion with the Hudson Institute.

According to Richard, the US has never before "faced two peer opponents" with nuclear weapons and high-technology systems, noting that China's rapid progression in nuclear, space, and cyber technologies means that Washington must think carefully about its next steps. In particular, Richard stated that China, unlike the US and Russia, is not constrained by treaties regarding its nuclear forces.


Comment: It may be true that China isn't constrained by any Western treaties, however it is creating a new order with Russia where it no doubt will sign up to numerous similar commitments, moreover China has shown itself to be a much more responsible and trustworthy player on the world stage than the US. Further, despite the US supposedly being constrained by numerous treaties and laws, that rarely constrains it from destabilizing world peace, and it does so by either unilaterally withdrawing or outright ignoring them, knowing that it will almost never be taken to task.






"Russia still remains the near-term pacing threat," Richard said, suggesting that Beijing would soon overtake Moscow as Washington's most capable foe.

According to the Admiral, both Russia and China can "go [to] any level of violence" in a crisis, including using nuclear weapons with their "unique destructive capability."


Comment: The US is the only country to ever have officially dropped nuclear bombs on civilian areas - Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan - so whilst the Admiral is implying that Russia and China could do that, the only country to have ever been reckless as to do so is the US.


Richard also spoke about the cooperation between the two nations, which have recently worked closely together for the mutual improvement of both militaries.

Earlier this month, Russian military personnel traveled to train with their China counterparts and conducted a joint military exercise at the Qingtongxia training ground, which involved more than 10,000 soldiers. According to Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, they were a "complete success" and demonstrated a "high level" of cooperation.


Comment: Incidentally, around the same time, Israel and the US conducted a 'first of its kind' aerial operation in southern Israel.


"These drills have great significance," Wei said. "These are the first joint drills organized in China since the outbreak of the epidemic. And these are the first-ever Chinese operational and strategic maneuvers with the participation of Russian troops."