China warned it's treading 'close to the line' as latest move risks full-scale war with US

The US has recently warned that any attacks on Philippine vessels in the South China Sea would inv (Image: Getty)

US admiral Mike Hewett has expressed concerns over the precarious state of affairs between China and the United States, as tensions continue to simmer in the Indo-Pacific region.

"The Chinese are pressing the resolve of the US, and they are emboldened that the US has an apparent weakness on the world stage right now with our Afghanistan and wider Middle East and Ukraine decisions," Hewett told the Express, emphasizing China's testing of US boundaries amid perceived vulnerabilities.

Hewett pointed out that there is a significant blur in what would entail full-blown conflict, highlighting the risk of miscalculations by both the US and China, and potentially leading to unintended military confrontations.

"There's a lot of 'grey area' concerning what would constitute war. So basically, the most pressing concern is not war, but 'miscalculation' from the US or China until they actually enforce military conflict," explained Hewett.

He further elaborated on potential scenarios, suggesting that heightened Chinese aggression, such as challenging the Philippines or confronting the US directly over diplomatic summits, could quickly escalate tensions in the South China Sea region.

Biden recently hosted a trilateral meeting with leaders of Japan and the Philippines (Image: Getty)

"I don’t think we’re headed into a conflict just now. The Chinese are always very good at getting up to the line, but not crossing it," Hewett said, indicating China's strategic maneuvering.

Amidst these concerns, President Joe Biden has recently issued a warning regarding any attacks on Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.

Speaking at the trilateral summit with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House, Biden said:"The United States defense commitments to Japan and to the Philippines are ironclad.

"As I said before, any attack on Philippine aircraft, vessels or armed forces in the South China Sea would invoke our mutual defense treaty."

Among other reasons, the summit was designed to send a clear signal that the Democratic administration remains determined to build what it calls a “latticework” of alliances in the Indo-Pacific even as it grapples with the Israel-Hamas war and Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Marcos delivered an opening statement during the trilateral summit, saying: "Today's summit is an opportunity to define the future that we want and how we intend to achieve it together."