If an armed conflict broke out between Beijing and Washington, China’s hi-tech ballistic missiles would likely cripple the United States’ military within hours, a new report by Australia-based researchers has said. Chinese military analysts, however, brushed off that assertion. “We respect the US’ reasonable presence in the Western Pacific … now and in the future, we hope the US will be a responsible player in the world, including in the Western Pacific,” said Zhao Yi, a former senior captain with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) navy and a visiting researcher at RSIS. Wu Shang-su, also a research fellow at RSIS, said while Beijing’s ability in “denial” – disrupting enemies’ use of space – may have been enhanced in recent years, that did not necessarily mean it was able to use that capability to control that space.