USS John C. Stennis, which now patrols Asia. (Photo : Getty Images)
Unsurprisingly, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) singled out the United States as the greatest threat to the continuing rule of the Communist Party of China (CPC) over the Chinese state.
PLA is the armed forces of the CPC and owes its primary loyalty to the CPC and not China.
A recent PLA document said to have been written by PLA military thinkers and revealed to the world by Japanese media shows the U.S. heading the list of the five potential threats to CPC's rule over China. The U.S. earned top spot because of the "Pivot to East Asia" regional strategy implemented by the administration of former U.S. president Barack Obama in 2011.
That pivot meant the deployment of more than half of the U.S. Navy's combat power to Asia. That re-deployment of combat resources continues to this day. Three of the navy's 10 carrier strike groups are assigned to Asia and all have patrolled or are patrolling the disputed South China Sea.
The PLA listed its ally, North Korea, as the second greatest threat to the existence of the CPC. It noted the existence of many of North Korea's nuclear facilities close to the Chinese border is a grave threat in itself.
If there is a Second Korean War, these nuclear facilities will present a "huge threat" to the northern and northeast parts of China.
Japan was third on the list. The report cited the dispute over the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which are also claimed by China.
Japan has embarked on its largest post-war military build-up of the Japan Self-Defense Force and the Japan Coast Guard. Japan recently received its first Northrop Grumman F-35A Joint Strike Fighter from the U.S. and is awaiting the delivery of close to 50 other stealth jets.
The South China Sea and its potential to trigger World War III is listed as the fourth deadliest threat to the CPC. India and its modernizing military is considered the fifth gravest threat because of India's growing appetite for territorial expansion.
