A U.S. intelligence analysis concluded that China is taking advantage of the war in Iran to gain an edge over the U.S. in a range of areas, including the military, the economy and the diplomatic field.
The document has raised alarms in the Pentagon about the cost the Iran war is having for the U.S. beyond its economy, The Washington Post noted. It was produced by the Joint Chiefs of Staff' intelligence directorate for the body's chairman, Gen. Dan Caine.
The report notes that, since the war began, Beijing sold weapons to U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf as they struggled to defend themselves from Iran, and has provided energy-related assistance to them as the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world's fuel goes, remains closed.
The U.S. has also seen its stockpiles depleted, potentially endangering the country's chances of prevailing against Beijing should they have a conflict.
In fact, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned U.S. counterpart Donald Trump that mishandling the Taiwan issue could place the U.S.-China relationship in "great jeopardy" and lead to "clashes and even conflicts," according to China's Foreign Ministry and reports from Reuters.
Asked about the report, Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said "assertions claiming the global balance of power have shifted towards any nation other than the United States of America are fundamentally false."
Moreover, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said the U.S. "decimated the Iranian regime's military capabilities in 38 short days and is now strangling what's left of their economy with one of the most successful naval blockades in history."
"The United States military is the greatest fighting force on the globe with unmatched power on display for the entire world to see," she added.
Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Penguy, in turn, said Beijing is committed to "promoting peace, and working to de-escalate the situation."
"The pressing priority now is to prevent by all means a relapse in fighting, rather than exploit the situation to throw mud at other countries," he said.
