China Generals Urge More Spending for U.S. Conflict ‘Trap’
- Beijing must prepare for ‘Thucydides Trap,’ Xu Qiliang says
- Unusual acknowledgment of conflict risk between two big powers
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China must boost military spending to prepare for a possible confrontation with the U.S., top generals said, in an unusual acknowledgment of the risk of a clash between the world’s two largest economies.
The two generals -- members of the Central Military Commission led by President Xi Jinping -- made the comments during the annual national legislative session in Beijing. CMC Vice Chairman Xu Qiliang, China’s top uniformed officer, said the country needed to brace for a “Thucydides Trap,” an inevitable conflict between a rising power and an established one.