Top admiral says China is outbuilding the US on warships at a shocking rate

• China is building warships much faster than the US, a top US admiral said.
• The head of US Indo-Pacific Command said the rate of Chinese ship production to that of the US is 6 to 1.8.
• China's military buildup and modernization efforts have been a top priority for leader Xi Jinping.

China's military is outbuilding the US on warships, the top American commander in the Indo-Pacific said.

This isn't a new revelation, but the rate at which a top rival is outpacing the US in a critical area is astonishing.

Last week, the head of US Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. Samuel Paparo, testified in front of the US Senate Armed Services Committee on the regional challenges, with China a top talking point.

Asked about China's ability to produce military assets, Paparo said it's building naval combatants at the rate of 6 to 1.8 to the US, roughly three times as many warships.

"And I could go through every force element that we are talking about," he added. He said the rate at which China is building fighter jets compared to the US is 1.2 to 1.

Beijing's military buildup has raised concerns among officials in Washington about what a conflict between the two powers could look like — and whether the US can catch up.

The military buildup, which Paparo suggested had seen staggering growth in recent years, said that "in the last 20 years, they have increased their military 10- to 15-fold."

China is a top priority for the military, especially INDOPACOM. Asked how much time he spends trying to plan for and anticipate potential Chinese actions, Paparo said it "consumes my duties."

In his prepared statement for the committee, Paparo said that China continued "to pursue unprecedented military modernization and increasingly aggressive behavior," citing not only its continually growing military force but also development of cutting-edge technologies, namely artificial intelligence, hypersonic and advanced missiles, and space-based capabilities.

"China is outpacing the US in testing not only these critical technologies," he said, "but also technologies from across their military industrial base."

More combat capability has enabled Chinese assertive and aggressive behavior in the region, the admiral added. That has been especially seen in disputes with the Philippines in the South China Sea, activities around Taiwan, and more.

Paparo specifically cited China's military exercises surrounding Taiwan, which he said have grown in scope, scale, and complexity in recent years and aren't just demonstrations of power but "dress rehearsals for forced unification."

Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has made military reform, buildup, and modernization his top priorities throughout his time in office. He has set benchmarks for when China should be ready to invade Taiwan, fully modernized, and a world-class military. Some of those deadlines are fast approaching.

The endeavor has faced some hiccups, though, including corruption and graft across the military that has raised questions among top US officials about whether these goals are possible. The US cannot afford to bank on that though.

China's military capabilities have long been a significant concern for the US military.

Across reports on China's military power and US strategic posture in the Indo-Pacific, American defense officials have detailed Beijing's ongoing efforts to bolster its naval fleet, airpower, and missile forces.

Much has been made of China's shipbuilding empire, with its shipyards rapidly producing new and big warships, including surface combatants and aircraft carriers. China has the largest navy in the world and is the top shipbuilder in terms of capacity.

The US shipbuilding industry, in contrast, has atrophied. There are ongoing efforts to revitalize it, but experts and officials say the problems won't be fixed overnight.

Paparo and others have noted that uncrewed systems could be a stopgap answer for what the US lacks in numbers of crewed warships, and the Pentagon is pursuing attritable, affordable drones at scale. But that, too, is a work in progress.