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Why China stands to gain from US moving military assets for Iran war
‘Any weakening’ of US presence in Asia-Pacific will work to someone’s advantage, ‘and you can imagine who that is’: cross-strait adviser
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Beijing could gain a strategic edge in the Taiwan Strait as US military assets are diverted to the Middle East, even though it remains committed to peaceful reunification, a prominent mainland expert on the Taiwan issue said on Tuesday.
Li Yihu, dean of the Taiwan Research Institute at Peking University and a deputy to China’s National People’s Congress, said Washington’s involvement in multiple conflicts, including the ongoing war in Iran, was straining its armed forces and diminishing its military presence in Asia.
Referring to the recent redeployment of parts of the US THAAD anti-missile system and Patriot missile defence batteries from South Korea to the Middle East, Li said the diversion would significantly affect US deployments in East Asia.
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“Any weakening of its presence in the Asia-Pacific will inevitably work to someone’s advantage – and you can imagine who that is,” Li said.
South Korea may see US missiles move to Middle East
South Korea may see US missiles move to Middle East
With advances in area-denial capabilities in the Taiwan Strait, Beijing stands to benefit if US military deployments are eroded in the region, according to Li.
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