The First Sea Lord stated that focused entirely on the bear risks overlooking the tiger and that the Ukraine war would have strengthened China. According to the World Bank, China's GDP is ten times that of Russia's, and China spent $293 billion on defense last year.
In comparison to Russia, which he stated spent less than a fifth at $66 billion, their defense budget grew for the 27th straight year.
Russia-Ukraine War Embolds China
Admiral Sir Ben Key used a lecture to the Council on Geostrategic Strategy to emphasize how the conflict in Ukraine will strengthen China. While the world sees Russia as a clear and present danger, Sir Ben believes China is the long-term issue. It comes after Beijing dispatched a naval rescue team to the disputed Nansha Islands, commonly known as the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
China has maintained that its military presence in the region is defensive and that it is there to preserve what it believes are its sovereign rights. According to a report on the relocation, it was a public service to the region to help local marine emergency and rescue operations, as well as oversee maritime traffic safety and ship pollution, Express reported.
Meanwhile, Russia's conflict in Ukraine is a learning experience for China in determining how and when it must invade Taiwan, according to Bill Burns, the director of the US Central Investigation Agency. The director stated at the Aspen Security Forum in the Rocky Mountains that Moscow's incursion is altering Beijing's calculations, increasing the risks for Taipei.
Bill Burns also cautioned that, given the present geopolitical scenario and Beijing's expanding dominance in Southeast Asia, Chinese President Xi Jinping might launch an attack on Taiwan during a critical conference of the Communist Party members later this year.
After learning of Xi Jinping's desire to seize control of Taiwan's self-proclaimed independence, the chairman of the intelligence agency stated that the "risks of such (an invasion of Taiwan) have gotten stronger." Bill Burns also felt that China had learned in the Russia-Ukraine war that if you don't get rapid, decisive triumphs with all the power, Beijing will "do everything one can to prop up the economy against prospective penalties."
Burns, on the other hand, maintained that, while China has increased its energy imports from Russia, it is walking carefully to ensure that the relationship does not breach Western sanctions, according to Republic World.
Read Also : US Ramps Up Military Aid to Ukraine as Volodymyr Zelensky's First Lady Asks Washington for Weapons
US Accuses Russia, China of Enabling Human Trafficking
Meanwhile, the US has lashed out at Russia and China, accusing them of facilitating human trafficking in a US Department of State yearly report on the topic. The 634-page paper, issued on Tuesday, covers human trafficking legislation worldwide, including those in the United States. Russia and China are named as two of the worst violators throughout the study.
Russia is one of 11 nations identified as having a policy or practice of human trafficking, trafficking in government-funded programs, forced labor in government-affiliated medical services or other sectors, sexual enslavement in government camps, or the use or recruitment of juvenile soldiers."
Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Russia, South Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan, and Yemen are also on the list. Russia was on the same list in the previous year's report. However, there was a greater emphasis this year on the invasion of Ukraine, putting Ukrainians susceptible to human trafficking, as per Al Jazeera via MSN.
