US President Donald Trump signed the $716 billion National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2019 on Monday. It authorizes another 2.3 percent military expenditure rise following the 13 percent increase of 2018, becoming the most significant investment in the US military "in modern history," as Trump said.
People believe the act targets Russia and China. It is an aggressive act that mentions the Taiwan Straits, the South China Sea, Chinese investment in the US and even Confucius Institutes.
The act greatly expands the Pentagon's power, probably making it the defense department which has the largest power in the world. Maybe only the Japanese military once owned such great power in history, and in this context, the US is being more militaristic.
There weren't any troops that dared challenge the US even before it raised its military expenditure, not to mention today.
China acknowledges US military strength and would never initiate an attack on a US military base in the way the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. China will never challenge the US militarily. We believe that Russia and other countries regarded as "threats" by the US also think the same way.
Consequently, US national security is strongly fortified and the American people should feel secure and satisfied. If some American elites still feel unsafe, then they are greedy about their security. The security they seek doesn't exist in this world. It is beyond even the reach of God.
Trump has further reinforced the US military, and it has become unapproachable in military modernization and strength worldwide.
However, it would be another story were Washington to target Beijing. What Washington pursues is the destruction of China's national security, not the protection of its own national security.
If one of the act's purposes is to contain China, then the US needs to defeat China in spirit and $716 billion would be far from enough.
The act mentioned deepening US defense cooperation with Taiwan. Is the US supporting the pro-independence Taiwan authorities and trying to split the island off from China? If so, the US must have underestimated the expenditure because Taiwan, as a part of China, is far more expensive.
Chinese troops never intended to start a war with the US in the remote sea or land and Chinese society loves peace. But if the US thinks it can make trouble at China's doorstep by increasing military expenditures, then the Chinese people have the determination to protect their core interest and force the US to stay back.
Although China's military expenditures are far less than the US, they are enough to protect China's core interests. If not, China has the ability to increase them anytime. US and China's defense spending accounts for 4 percent and 1.3 percent of their GDP respectively, which shows China's love of peace and its ability to increase the spending as well.
No one should have the ambition to defeat China by using military approaches in the 21st century. Before Washington makes any radical decisions, it should evaluate its own power.
