America’s view of China as a “pacing threat” has shaped its defence priorities as the military seeks to maintain an edge over a rapidly modernising PLA. In the last of a three-part series on how US budget tensions will affect efforts to deter China, we look at Trump’s massive funding request aimed at turbocharging naval construction. Read the rest of the series here.
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US President Donald Trump aims to invest tens of billions of dollars to revitalise American shipbuilding, as China’s rapidly expanding naval fleet and commercial shipbuilding industry challenge US maritime dominance, especially in the Indo-Pacific.
As part of the strategy, the Trump administration is considering setting aside a major portion of its US$150 billion defence reconciliation bill – under a special legislative process that allows Congress to fast-track funding – for naval shipbuilding.
The US has also been seeking to increase shipbuilding cooperation with Indo-Pacific treaty allies South Korea and Japan, in an attempt to match Beijing’s naval fleet in case war breaks out around Taiwan.
However, despite Washington’s resolve, the US might find it very difficult to match China’s shipbuilding capacity within Trump’s term, analysts warned.
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Potential solutions such as involving regional allies would also face challenges, they said, citing factors including Washington’s political priority to keep jobs within the country.
Will money talk for Trump?