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Pentagon: China's military strengthening
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-07-20 08:48
WASHINGTON - China is steadily strengthening and modernizing its
military, with an aim to deterring Taiwan from declaring independence, the
Pentagon said Tuesday in a new report on Chinese military power and strategy.
This undated file
photo released by the US Department of Defense shows an aerial view of The
Pentagon in Washington, DC. [AFP] | The report even claims that over the longer term, an increasingly modern
Chinese military could pose a threat to U.S. and other forces in the
Asia-Pacific region.
"Some of China's military planners are surveying the strategic landscape
beyond Taiwan," the report said.
Among a number of such developments, it noted improvements in Chinese
intercontinental-range missiles "capable of striking targets across the globe,
including the United States." Air and naval force improvements also appear to be
geared for operations beyond the geography around Taiwan, it added.
Fueled by a booming economy and foreign arms purchases, China's military is
developing new capabilities in line with Beijing's strategy of deterring Taiwan
from declaring independence and countering a potential U.S. military
intervention, according to the 45-page report, an annual assessment required by
Congress.
The short-term focus of China's military is preparing for potential conflict
in the Taiwan Strait, the report said. Beijing has made it clear that it would
have to use non-peaceful means if the island declares formal independence
or resists Beijing's insistence on negotiating a reunification. The United
States, which is Taiwan's main arms supplier, has cautioned both sides not to
force a change in the status quo.
Kurt Campbell, who was a senior Asia specialist at the Pentagon during the
Clinton administration, said in an interview that the report is "slightly more
alarmist" than previous Pentagon assessments of China's military. He noted that
the report focuses on a number of new Chinese capabilities, including a naval
buildup.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Tuesday prior
to the release of the report that it illustrates why a European arms embargo
against the Chinese should be kept in place.
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