US Losing Influence To China As World's 'Partner Of Choice' - Congressman

US Losing Influence to China as World's 'Partner of Choice' - Congressman

The United States is losing its influence as the world's "partner of choice" just as China is gaining ground by brokering peace negotiations in the Middle East, US Congressmen Ken Calvert said on Thursday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd March, 2023) The United States is losing its influence as the world's "partner of choice" just as China is gaining ground by brokering peace negotiations in the middle East, US Congressmen Ken Calvert said on Thursday.

"Today China, not the United States is brokering peace negotiations in the Middle East. The US is losing influence as the world's partner of choice," Calvert said during a congressional hearing on the Defense Department's budget for fiscal year 2024.

Calvert said the reasons behind the decline of the United States' influence are clear and include delays in the country's weapons modernization process, the fear of undertaking the mounting bureaucracy related to procurement, and the inconsistency of the defense industrial base.

A fully modernized US military by 2030 will arrive too late to deter China from reunifying with Taiwan, he said.

Calvert also said the Biden administration has repeatedly failed to anticipate and implement a coherent geopolitical strategy at a time when China is rapidly modernizing and preparing to take over Taiwan by the end of this decade.

Authoritarian governments have been emboldened by the Biden administration's weakness and the fiscal year 2024 budget is expected to address the challenges posed by China's alleged aggressive behavior, Calvert added.