The Department of Defense’s China Task Force has handed in its report. Although classified, it can be easily deduced that it condemns the gap between declarations and actions.

The creation of this working group was announced in February, just hours before a telephone conversation between Presidents Biden and Xi. It was made up of fifteen members, mainly from the Pentagon and the intelligence community, and chaired by Ely Ratner. Under the Obama administration, he was Deputy National Security Advisor to then Vice President Biden.

Secretary of Defense General Lloyd J. Austin III promptly signed several secret directives. He reached out to Pentagon staff urging it to implement the new priorities without delay. The aim would be to shift the focus away from the wider Middle East to Asia. In short, to do what has been talked about for years, but never actually done.

For the moment, nothing has seeped through with regard to the strategy adopted in the face of China’s development.