China Views U.S. Military Weakened by Iran War, Analysts Say

Chinese military experts are saying the war in Iran has severely used up American weapons. They believe this makes the U.S. less able to defend Taiwan if China were to attack. This view could weaken President Trump's position in his upcoming meeting with China's leader, Xi Jinping.

Since the war in Iran started in late February, the United States has used about half of its long-range stealth cruise missiles. It has also fired roughly ten times the number of Tomahawk cruise missiles it normally buys each year. These figures come from internal Defense Department estimates and officials in Congress.

Some Chinese analysts see the war as more than just a drain on weapons. They believe it has damaged the image of American military strength. These experts argue that the U.S. cannot produce weapons fast enough to replace what it uses in a long and intense conflict.

Yue Gang, a retired colonel in the People's Liberation Army, stated that this depletion "has significantly diminished the U.S. military’s ability to project its combat power." He added that it "laid bare the shortcomings of its global military hegemony." This suggests that America's power projection capabilities have been exposed as weak.

This perspective is being used by some Chinese commentators and possibly the government. They argue that U.S. forces might not be able to defend Taiwan effectively if war broke out. The reasoning is that if the U.S. cannot win quickly against Iran, it would likely struggle even more against China, which they consider an equal military power.