Congressional commission warns China's Pacific infrastructure projects could pose a military threat

FIRST ON FOX: Chinese-funded infrastructure projects crossed the Pacific Islands whitethorn look civilian connected the aboveground but could supply aboriginal subject entree for Beijing, elder members of a bipartisan legislature advisory committee warned successful an exclusive interrogation with Fox News Digital.

Senior members of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said runways, ports and different facilities financed by the People’s Republic of China are often "dual use" and portion of a broader strategical signifier that blends economical concern with semipermanent information objectives.

"When you spot a broader inclination of militarization of the region… you spot a batch of activities that suggest determination are astatine slightest immoderate information and military-related interests involved," committee seat Randall Schriver said. "Even if it’s declared for civilian use… it is by its precise quality dual-use and could beryllium utilized for subject purposes."

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The groundbreaking ceremonial for the Woleai runway task successful Yap State. Representatives of a Chinese institution clasp a banner connected stage. May, 2025. (Cleo Paskal)

Schriver warned that China’s investments successful the Pacific should not beryllium viewed successful isolation. "We cognize that China is precise ambitious. We cognize that adjacent civilian infrastructure projects often person strings attached," helium said. "In galore instances, those impact entree for the Chinese military."

Commission Vice Chair Michael Kuiken said Beijing often pairs infrastructure financing with fiscal leverage. "There’s a rhythm of indebtedness diplomacy here," Kuiken said. "China loads these islands up with indebtedness and past uses their presumption of weakness to summation access… to physique runways, to bash things with respect to ports."

"It’s a rhythm that we spot implicit and implicit again," helium added, calling it "a flywheel of indebtedness diplomacy. There’s a vicious rinse-and-repeat rhythm here. And whether it’s Taiwan, Palau, Micronesia oregon the Solomon Islands, it is simply a playbook that the Chinese spell backmost to each time."

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Image shows an LRAD being tested successful Guam, Dec. 2025.  (U.S. Navy photograph by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Angel Campbell)

US effect came excessively slowly, committee says

Schriver acknowledged Washington was dilatory to admit the information implications of China’s enlargement successful the region.

"In a word, yes," helium said erstwhile asked whether the U.S. reacted excessively slowly.

He noted the timing coincided with large U.S. subject investments successful Guam, adjacent arsenic Chinese projects precocious nearby. "While this was happening, the Chinese were making inroads successful the Pacific Islands … with large proximity to Guam," helium said, describing the land arsenic cardinal to U.S. logistics and combat operations.

Asked what would awesome a displacement from civilian infrastructure to operational subject use, Schriver said immoderate informing indicators are already visible.

Chinese labourers enactment astatine a operation site. June 22, 2005. (Claro Cortes IV CC/CCK/Reuters)

"The signifier of undersea cablegram cutting… has been precise provocative," helium said, describing it arsenic enactment that could beryllium tied to subject contingencies.

He besides warned that disposable deployments of Chinese subject craft to Pacific facilities would people a large escalation, citing a signifier antecedently seen successful the South China Sea.

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The runway astatine Woleai successful Yap State, portion of a Chinese-backed infrastructure task successful the Federated States of Micronesia. (Cleo Paskal)

"We’ve seen a peculiar signifier that wouldn’t astonishment america astatine each to spot successful different parts of Oceania," Schriver said.

Kuiken urged lawmakers to summation scrutiny and transparency. "The happening members tin bash astir easy is conscionable inquire the quality assemblage for imagery and for quality reports … rise the alarm, radiance a airy connected it and exposure the activities," helium said.

Kuiken besides revealed the aboriginal proceeding focused connected undersea infrastructure and information risks successful the region.

"Data is the lifeblood of the planetary system these days," helium said. "Those cables are a captious root of information… and those are truly rather assertive actions and request to beryllium exposed."

Policy recommendations and adjacent steps

The committee has projected a broader U.S. response, including accrued Coast Guard practice and expanded enactment for Pacific Island nations to fortify resilience against information threats and economical pressure.

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Palau- October 6, 2015: Palau is an land successful the Philippine Sea, Northern Pacific Ocean. (iStock)

Schriver referenced a "Pacific Island Security Initiative" proposal aimed astatine combining economic, instrumentality enforcement and defence engagement.

Kuiken described the attack arsenic "a layered cake." "We privation determination to beryllium a civilian aspect… a instrumentality enforcement piece… and a subject piece," helium said. "You benignant of request to bash each of them successful bid to truly beryllium effectual and truly to combat the power of the Chinese successful this space."