The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) called recently for a balanced approach to China as it increases its military might, saying U.S. weaponry should be kept at a level to counter the Asian nation.

Still, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), ranking member of the committee that directs Pentagon policy, at a Washington think tank cautioned against have a Cold War-type arms race with China.

He said the United States has to cautiously reckon with China’s increased military might. He called for considering what would happen if the United States sent aircraft carrier battle groups into the Taiwan Straits, as it did in 1996, and China this time responded with an attack.

“The one thing we can make absolutely clear in the military is no matter what happens, if they step over a line and if they actually do that kind of attack, we need to make sure that our military is strong enough against a peer…to inflict a significant amount of pain in return,” Smith said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He called for aiming “not necessarily (for) defeat over a long long period of time,” but ensuring “that we will have the weaponry to defend ourselves, and also to make the cost for such action way, way too high.”

“The good news about that, that’s relatively easy,” he added. “We do have that capability and technology. So we’re working at those weapon systems. I don’t think we should try to get in an arms race. We should try to be strong enough to defend our interests”

Smith said he supports some arms sales to Taiwan, which China opposes, including Lockheed Martin‘s [LMT] F-16 fighter jets.

HASC Republicans, meanwhile, have used a new Pentagon report on China’s increased military might to fight against cuts to the U.S. military budget.