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US secretary of state calls Chinese military second strongest in world

Marco Rubio said the pace of growth in the Chinese military over the last 10 years has no precedent

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Mandel Ngan/Pool Photo via AP

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio

© Mandel Ngan/Pool Photo via AP

NEW YORK, May 14. /TASS/. China has been building up its military at an unprecedented pace over the past decade, making it the second strongest in the world today, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

"I mean, the pace of growth in the Chinese military over the last 10 years has no precedent. <...> It’s hard to ignore how fast and how big [it’s growing]. <...> They are, right now, the world’s second most powerful military without a doubt," he said in an interview with NBC News.

According to Rubio, Chinese authorities "have ambitions to ultimately be able to project power globally the way the US does now."

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China United States

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