International security

'China threat theory' gauges US paranoia

During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats accused China, Russia, Iran and North Korea of increasingly "threatening minds and developing ways to disrupt critical infrastructures."

Coats expressed concern about expanding cooperation between China and Russia, which he claimed to be eroding existing standards, attempting to reshape the international system and increasing the risk of regional conflicts.

The same day Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities James Anderson noted China's missiles, particularly hypersonic, as a concern for the US government. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman James Inhofe lashed out at China's buildup on islands and reefs in the South China Sea as like Beijing "preparing for World War III."

The most powerful country in the world says it is the most threatened and penetrated one. This is contrary to common sense and can only make people feel that the US is quite neurotic on security issues.

We cannot represent any other country, but we can certainly admonish Washington: The probability of the US being attacked by China is far less than that of the country being hit by a devastating asteroid. If Washington thinks it is throwing money into water to build an asteroid interception system, then a system to protect against a Chinese missile attack is actually more ridiculous.