US - China Relations: Biden Says Pentagon Reviewing China Strategy

The Department of Defense is taking a closer look at its strategy toward China.

A task force was announced Wednesday during President Joe Biden's first visit to the Pentagon. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will reportedly receive recommendations from the task force within a few months.

"We need to meet the growing challenges posed by China to keep peace and defend our interests in the Indo-Pacific and globally," Biden said. "Today, I was briefed on a new DoD-wide China task force that Secretary Austin is standing up to look at our strategy and operational concepts, technology and force posture and so much more."

Vice President Kamala Harris joined Biden at the Pentagon.

The announcement coincides with reports China expanded its military capabilities in the South China Sea.

Rear Adm. James Kirk, commander of the USS Nimitz, briefed reporters following a 10-month deployment in the disputed waters.

"We're seeing a larger number of aircraft, a larger number of ships available to the Chinese military being utilized on a daily basis," Kirk said. "So the capacity had clearly increased."

Biden has said that China is the biggest challenge for the U.S.

In December, Washington Post opinion columnist Josh Rogin noted the difficult task ahead for the U.S. due to China's newly advanced weapon systems and after the Trump administration's inconsistent response. China's long-term strategy includes advancing its "cyber, space and information warfare capabilities."

"The Biden administration will find countering China’s military strategy, especially in Asia, to be a complex, costly and risky endeavor. But it has no choice but to embark on it, because the status quo is giving out," read Rogin's column.