China ‘greatest long-term strategic threat’ to U.S., top admiral testifies

The United States is facing the most serious challenge to its national interest and the “rules-based international order” from China, the top U.S. commander for the Indo-Pacific region warned Congress Tuesday.

“China represents our greatest long-term strategic threat to a free and open Indo-Pacific and to the United States,” Adm. Philip Davidson said in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“Those who believe this is reflective of an intensifying competition between an established power in the United States and a rising power in China are not seeing the whole picture,” Davidson said. “Rather, I believe we are facing something even more serious: a fundamental divergence in values that leads to two incompatible visions of the future through fear and coercion.”