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The U.S. military must be prepared for a possible confrontation with China, Pentagon leaders said today, urging the U.S. Congress to approve the Defense Department's proposed $842 billion budget to modernize U.S. forces in Asia and around the world, the Associated Press reported. quoted by BTA.

"This is a budget driven by strategy as well as the seriousness of our strategic rivalry with the People's Republic of China," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told a hearing before the House Defense Subcommittee.

He said the budget proposes to spend more than $9 billion to strengthen military capabilities in the Pacific region and the defense of allies.

This amount is a 40 percent increase compared to last year.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Russia earlier this week, raising fears of increased Chinese support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine and a heightened threat to the West.

Blinken: China's support for Russia is against US interests

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said China's actions "are moving it toward confrontation and possible conflict with its neighbors and possibly with the United States."

In his words, deterrence and preparation for war is "extremely expensive, but not as expensive as waging war."

"And this budget prevents war and prepares us to fight one if necessary," he said.

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