The White House Has Banned The Pentagon From Talking About 'Competition' With China

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Navy Times: White House tells the Pentagon to quit talking about 'competition' with China

The White House has barred Pentagon leaders from a key talking point when it comes to publicly describing the military challenges posed by China.

In February, Defense Secretary Ash Carter cited the "return to great power of competition" in the Asia-Pacific, "where China is rising."

Similarly, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson characterized China and Russia as rivals in this "great power competition" in his maritime strategy.

But a recent directive from the National Security Council ordered Pentagon leaders to strike out that phrase and find something less inflammatory, according to four officials familiar with the classified document, revealed here for the first time by Navy Times. Obama administration officials and some experts say "great power competition" inaccurately frames the U.S. and China as on a collision course, but other experts warn that China's ship building, man-made islands and expansive claims in the South and East China seas are hostile to U.S. interests. This needlessly muddies leaders' efforts to explain the tough measures needed to contain China's rise, these critics say.

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Update: Report: White House Bars Pentagon From Talking About ‘Competition’ With China (Washington Free Beacon)

WNU Editor: I guess this U.S. admiral has been told to "shut-up" .... U.S. Navy's Top Pacific Admiral Wants To Confront China. White House Says No (September 26, 2016).