Trump's administration acknowledged that today China is superior in naval power.

In a forceful statement, the United States Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, publicly acknowledged that Chinese hypersonic missiles have the capability to destroy all American aircraft carriers in just 20 minutes.

Hegseth made these claims during an interview on The Shawn Ryan Show, emphasizing that China has built an army specifically designed to defeat the United States.

According to the secretary, the main platform for projecting U.S. power globally is its aircraft carrier strike groups. However, he warned that China possesses at least 15 hypersonic missiles capable of eliminating the 10 American aircraft carriers in the first minutes of a conflict.

This capability puts Washington's traditional military strategy in check and highlights the growing technological gap between the two powers, which has been severely deteriorated during the Democrat Biden administration.

Hegseth also revealed that in all the war simulations conducted by the Pentagon in the last decade, the United States has lost to China. This worrying "perfect record" reflects how the bureaucratic model of American weapons development has lagged behind, allowing China to advance faster and in greater quantities in the production of missiles, ships, planes, and submarines.

One of the strategic points in dispute is the Panama Canal, of which the United States was the main promoter and controller until 1999. Currently, approximately 40% of American container traffic depends on this route.

China has significantly increased its influence in the region following Panama's diplomatic recognition of Beijing in 2017. Through the company Hutchison Ports PPC, based in Hong Kong and linked to the Chinese government, it controls key ports at both entrances of the canal.

In response to this situation, the United States and Panama signed an agreement in April 2025 that allows the deployment of American military personnel in facilities controlled by Panama.

This agreement aims to ensure the protection of the canal against threats, particularly those of Chinese origin. President Donald Trump, who returned to power in January, has been clear in his intention to "regain" strategic control of the canal.

The United States Department of Defense published a report in December 2024 that details China's advances in hypersonic missile technology, highlighting the implementation of the DF-17 and DF-27 systems.

The DF-17, a medium-range ballistic missile with a hypersonic glide vehicle, has been deployed since 2020 and can attack military bases and fleets in the Western Pacific.

Meanwhile, the DF-27 has an estimated intercontinental range of between 5,000 and 8,000 km, capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads and reaching Alaska or Hawaii.

Another Chinese hypersonic system, the YJ-21, was specifically developed to destroy aircraft carriers, highlighting the People's Liberation Army's focus on asymmetric warfare.

In 2021, China conducted a test of a hypersonic glide vehicle with a 40,000 km journey, marking a milestone in global weapons technology.

In the face of this threat, the Pentagon has requested a budget of USD 6.9 billion for the fiscal year 2025 for hypersonic missile programs such as the Air Force's HACM (Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile), the Army's Dark Eagle, and the Navy's HALO system. However, the deployment of the first naval hypersonic missile has been delayed until 2027.

Additionally, an ambitious national defense system called "Golden Dome" is being developed, proposed by President Trump. This contemplates an architecture of three "domes" to protect U.S. territory against ballistic, hypersonic, cruise missiles, and aerial threats, partially inspired by the Strategic Defense Initiative of the Reagan era.

General Anthony Cotton, head of Strategic Command, indicated that they are reviewing past ideas, such as the "Brilliant Pebbles" concept, which proposed a network of armed satellites in low orbit.

On the other hand, reports have also emerged of Chinese citizens fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. Two of them, captured by the Ukrainian army, claimed to have been recruited after watching Russian propaganda videos on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

These combatants denied official ties with the Chinese government, although the fact that the videos circulated on a strictly censored platform suggests a certain degree of tolerance from Beijing.

Secretary Hegseth warned that the conflict between the United States and China is not only military. He stated that China represents a significant economic threat, has infiltrated the U.S. power grid, and seeks to dominate strategic markets like microchips through the takeover of Taiwan, the world leader in semiconductors.