China and Russia pose a threat to the United States and its European allies, but China is more dangerous than the Russian Federation, said US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, speaking in Brussels at the German Marshall Fund. According to the head of the Pentagon, allegedly "it is becoming increasingly clear that Beijing and Moscow want to rebuild the world in accordance with their interests and to the detriment of others" and "undermine the current international order."

However, China, according to Esper, intends not only to influence the policies and economies of other states. Beijing is also trying to influence security decisions, the Pentagon chief said.

“I would like to warn our European friends: we should not assume that the US’s fears about China’s economic and military expansion are exaggerated or irrelevant to their national security. The influence of China is expanding rapidly, and it continues to seek new partners outside of Asia, ”said Esper.

The US Secretary of Defense claims that Beijing seeks to weaken other countries through “predatory economic methods, subversive political activity, and military power.”

“The United States does not ask the state to make a choice between China and the rest of the world, but we ask them to strive for a future in which democracy is maintained, economic prosperity is ensured, and human rights are protected. Every state entering into relations with China should be aware of the possible consequences, ”Esper warned.

In the context of the allegedly growing “Chinese threat,” he called on the European allies of the United States to bring military spending to 2% of GDP by 2024. Esper noted that now only eight NATO countries correspond to this level of defense spending. Earlier, similar claims were made by US President Donald Trump.

In addition, the head of the Pentagon believes that EU countries should also review the practice of priority giving defense orders to European companies. Only the openness of the arms market can provide the armies of the union countries with first-class weapons that will effectively counteract the expansion of China and Russia, Esper is sure.

“Buy weapons”

Experts note that the statement by the head of the Pentagon is in the wake of the political course of the Donald Trump administration.

“Russia is a threat, and China is an even greater threat. The Trump administration has been saying this for the past two years, especially since the middle of last year, ”Vasily Kashin, a senior researcher at the Institute of the Far East of the Russian Academy of Sciences, recalled in an interview with RT.

  • US and NATO flags
  • Reuters
  • © Laura Hasani

Political scientists are convinced that such rhetoric has a mercantile motive. The anti-Chinese attacks of the Americans are also explained by the fact that Trump relies on the support of the arms lobby in the United States and seeks to increase the country's income from defense exports, noted MGIMO's leading researcher Yuri Zinin in a commentary on RT.

“The message from Mark Esper is simple: buy weapons from the Americans. The United States is increasingly resorting to political methods of fighting competitors and promoting its economic interests. This is just the case, ”says Zinin.

He recalls that Trump has always considered China the main economic competitor of the United States. The American president does not consider Russia as such, therefore it is “in second place” in Esper’s statement, Zinin explains.

“The escalation of fear of the“ Chinese threat ”, as the Pentagon believes, should affect the EU’s cooperation with China in all areas. As a result, Europeans will not give Beijing freedom in the markets it currently occupies. At the same time, the Americans will have an excellent opportunity to compete for these markets, ”says the expert.

In turn, Vasily Kashin believes that Esper’s statement is also directed against the European military-industrial complex.

“From the US point of view, Europeans have the audacity to own their own defense industry and try to support it. Although they are doing this quite inefficiently, the fact itself continues to annoy America. There is Great Britain, where there is almost nothing left of its own; the Americans have bought everything up. Even the main British defense company BAE Systems is already, in fact, rather, American. And continental Europeans, in principle, are able to do their own thing and are trying to focus on the national producer, thereby depriving the States of tens of billions more dollars a year. Of course, Washington does not like all this, ”Kashin said.

“Too fragmented market”

At the same time, political scientists believe that, despite all the efforts of Washington, the EU countries are unlikely to succumb to pressure from the White House. The proposal to open its arms market to the Americans and increase defense spending is likely to remain without a proper response from Brussels, Vasily Kashin believes.

  • Pentagon Head Mark Esper
  • © Francisco Seco / Pool via REUTERS

“Europe simply will not do anything. But how else can you respond to a request in the name of combating some kind of ephemeral threat, to give, for example, everything valuable that you have? ”The expert believes.

At the same time, in his opinion, Esper’s statement clearly indicates that the onslaught of Americans on the EU arms market is only increasing.

“Europeans are losing US competition because they cannot agree among themselves and establish a joint defense policy. They have a too fragmented market. In the EU there are many small producers who produce something for their dwarf European armies, while losing competitiveness. This is their problem. In principle, Europe has a powerful military-industrial complex, and so far they are more or less trying to save, protect and develop it. To the greatest extent this succeeds in France, maybe partly in Italy, ”says Kashin.

Yuri Zinin, in turn, suggested that in the struggle for European markets, Americans will continue to appeal to the sense of solidarity of their NATO allies.

"From Washington, they remind their allies in Europe every now and then that, since the Americans are spending the most on defense, then, kindly, do not forget the United States in trade and economic terms," ​​the expert says.

He believes that Esper did not accidentally mention in one row the threat from China, the need to open European markets to the US military-industrial complex, and Europeans not meeting their defense spending obligations.

“In most EU countries, they are very reluctant to increase military budgets. This is clear. There is always money to spend, and Europeans do not understand why their taxes should go on defense. Most of them do not consider Moscow or Beijing a threat that needs to be defended at all costs. Esper wants to convince Europeans that there is a threat. And since Europe does not want to defend itself, the United States will defend it, receiving a certain “compensation” for it, ”Zinin concluded.