America is very likely to be at war with China in 15 years, according to the former commander of the US army in Europe.

Retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges warned there was a 'very strong likelihood' of a conflict by 2033 as he called for European allies to bolster their own defences.

He said Europe will have to do more in the face of a resurgent Russia because America will need to focus more attention on defending its interests in the Pacific.

'The United States needs a very strong European pillar. I think in 15 years - it's not inevitable - but it is a very strong likelihood that we will be at war with China,' Lt Gen Hodges told a packed room at the Warsaw Security Forum, a two-day gathering of leaders and military and political experts from central Europe.

America is very likely to be at war with China in 15 years, according to the former commander of the US army in Europe. Pictured: A Chinese aircraft carrier

'The United States does not have the capacity to do everything it has to do in Europe and in the Pacific to deal with the Chinese threat,' Lt Gen Hodges said.

Lt Gen Hodges was US army commander in Europe from 2014 until last year.

He is now a strategic expert with the Centre for European Policy Analysis, a Washington-based research institute.

Despite shifting geopolitical priorities, Lt Gen Hodges said the US commitment to Nato remains 'unshakeable'.

He said he is certain the Trump administration views Europe's security as a key US interest even though President Donald Trump has sometimes questioned the Western military alliance's usefulness.

Retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges (pictured) warned there was a 'very strong likelihood' of a conflict by 2033 as he called for European allies to bolster their own defences

'So you're going to see us continue to invest here in Europe, continue to train, to practise rotational forces, as well as permanently assign forces for the eventuality that in 10 or 15 years we're going to be having to fight in the Pacific,' Lt Gen Hodges said.

Lt Gen Hodges told the Associated Press that a recent near-miss between a US navy destroyer and a Chinese warship in the disputed South China Sea was only one of the signs pointing to 'an increasingly tense relationship and increasing competition in all the different domains'.

Others, he said, are China's 'constant stealing of technology' and how China is gaining control of infrastructure by funding projects in Africa and Europe.

He said that in Europe, China owns more than 10% of the ports.