Beijing’s Military, Maritime Militia ‘Likely Training’ to Strike US and Allies, Pentagon Says

This undated photo taken in April 2018 shows J-15 multirole fighter jets on China's aircraft carrier, Liaoning, during a drill at sea. Pentagon’s new annual report on China’s military says that China is training its bombers for likely strikes against U.S. and allied forces. AFP/Getty Images

China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) bombers are likely training for strikes against the United States and its allies, and a massive fleet of maritime militia that’s controlled by Beijing is being used to support the regime’s aggression in the South China Sea and beyond, according to a new Pentagon report on the Chinese regime’s military capabilities.

The 2018 annual report to Congress on China’s military and security developments estimates that Beijing spent $190 billion on the military in 2017 alone, an increase from last year’s estimate of $180 billion, even as China’s GDP growth has stalled.