China's
military is increasingly focused on naval power and has invested in high-tech
weaponry that will extend its reach in the Pacific and beyond, the Pentagon
said Wednesday.
China has ramped up efforts to produce anti-ship missiles
that could knock out aircraft carriers, improved targeting radar, expanded its
fleet of nuclear-powered submarines and warships and made advances in satellite
technology and cyber warfare, the Pentagon wrote in an annual report to
Congress.
The weapons buildup comes as the Asian economic giant places
a growing priority on securing strategic shipping lanes and mineral-rich areas
in the South China Sea.
"The evolution of China's economic and geostrategic
interests has fundamentally altered Beijing's view of maritime power," the
report said.
While Chinese leaders continue to prepare for a potential
conflict with Taiwan, they now see a broader role for the People's Liberation
Army, with the navy as a crucial element, it said.
"China's leaders have offered unambiguous guidance that
the PLA Navy will play a growing role in protecting China's far-flung
interests," the report said.
US commanders worry that China's advances could jeopardize
America's longstanding military dominance in the Pacific while US officials
have accused Beijing of aggressive tactics against neighboring countries over
territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
An expanded Chinese naval presence in the region, including
warships, submarines, missiles and possible aircraft carriers, would have
"implications for regional rivalries and power dynamics," Michael
Schiffer, deputy assistant secretary of secretary of defense, told reporters.
Chinese leaders have insisted its modernization program is
aimed solely at "self-defense" and accused US officials of trying to
portray the armed forces as a threat.
The report said China had sought to strengthen its nuclear
forces by adding more "road-mobile" ballistic missiles and by
stressing "camouflage" tactics to ensure the atomic arsenal could
better survive a potential attack, the report said.
The Chinese buildup includes a new aircraft carrier that
recently held its first sea trial. But the Pentagon played down the carrier's
importance, saying the ship was a first step towards a future fleet of carriers
expected to be built over 10 years.
The new carrier, a Ukrainian ship modified by the Chinese,
"will serve initially as a training and evaluation platform, and
eventually offer a limited operational capability," it said.
The aircraft carrier still has no warplanes on board and
"it will take a number of additional years for an air group to achieve the
sort of minimal level of combat capability," Schiffer said.
With an array of new weapons coming on line, China's military
will face a challenge in the coming decade as it tries to train troops in new
tactics and revise its approach to "adopt modern operational
concepts," he said.
The report also noted an internal debate in China about the
role of the military and whether the PLA "should develop to advance
China's interests beyond traditional requirements."
The report renewed US warnings that China was extending its
military edge over Taiwan, citing better artillery that could strike targets
within or even across the Taiwan Strait.
China considers Taiwan, where the mainland's defeated
nationalists fled in 1949, to be a province awaiting reunification, by force if
necessary.
The dispute over Taiwan, including US arms sales to Taipei,
has remained a stumbling block to Washington's attempts at promoting a security
dialogue with the Chinese military.
Taiwan, and some US lawmakers, have called for the sale of
F-16 fighter jets to help counter the Chinese threat.
The Pentagon report covered 2010 and was delayed for five
months, following a high-profile visit to Beijing by the US military's top
officer in July.
The document estimated China's overall military-related
spending was more than $160 billion in 2010, and that its military budget grew
at an average of 12.1 percent over the past decade -- outpacing the country's
economic growth at 10.2 percent over the same period.
Chinese military spending, however, is still far below the US
defense budget, the world's largest, which was nearly $700 billion in 2010.
Source : AFP
EmpireMoney
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