Conflict with China is not imminent: USAF Commander
USAF Commander implicitly demeaned the recent statements by General Minihan describing them as "not necessarily helpful" and disappointing.
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An E/A-18G Growler aircraft launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the South China Sea, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, as Nimitz in U.S. 7th Fleet was conducting operations (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Joseph Calabrese/U.S. Navy via AP)
In a speech on Monday, US Air Force commander Gen. Charles Brown said that war breaking out between the US and China is not inevitable. He implicitly demeaned the recent statements by General Mike Minihan, commander of the Air Mobility Command, describing them as "not necessarily helpful" and disappointing.
"I don't see conflict with China is imminent or unavoidable, but my goal is to avoid it and be ready [to fight it if necessary]," Brown told an audience at the Brookings Institution.
Gen. Michael Minihan is the chief of Commander Brown's Air Mobility Command. Earlier in January, he had stated that he believed there was a serious chance of conflict with China breaking out in the next two years.
Read more: China Denounces Australia's warmongering "wild remarks"
Brown made sure to distance his stance from Minihan's warmongering without mentioning him by name in his speech at the Brookings Institution.
"That speculation is not necessarily helpful but I'm disappointed by some of the comments that have been made," Brown said.
On February 8, in Washington, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed NATO member states concerns about China's nuclear and conventional force buildup. Stoltenberg also stated that he had spoken with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the concerns.
Read more: NATO must adhere to geographic boundaries: China
In the same week, President Biden said his country will fully compete with China while sticking to the "no conflict" policy.
