Tuesday 4 March 2008

US says "China to build up military"

A clear placement story in the FT of all papers. The US says that China is to build up it military. Why would it do anything less? Has US spending on defence increased/slowed/remained the same?

With China growing at over 10% a year it is inevitable that some of the tax dollars will be spend upgrading China's military capacity. We have covered this issue before back in September.

The US also complains about a lack of transparency. How much do we really know about US spending?

Chinese Military: Hacking and Transparency

Here is the FT article:

China looks to build up military, says US [FT]

The Chinese military is increasingly developing capabilities, including counter space programmes, to conduct military operations beyond any conflict in the Taiwan Strait, the Pentagon said on Monday.

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The Congressionally mandated report also stressed US concerns about a lack of transparency from China about its military build-up.

“The real story is the continuing development, the continuing modernisation, the continuing acquisition of capabilities and the corresponding and unfortunate lack of understanding, lack of transparency about the intentions behind those and the way they’re going to be deployed,” David Sedney, the deputy assistant secretary of defence for East Asia, said at the Pentagon.

“So what is China going to do with all that?”

The report raised concerns about China’s expanding naval power, saying the Chinese navy was gaining familiarity with open-water operations, and conducting exercises in international waters. It added the Chinese air force was improving the potential strike range of its bombers by enhancing radar systems and aerial refuelling.

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“China recently agreed to begin submitting an annual report to the United Nations on its military expenditures, which would be a positive step toward increasing transparency,” said Mr Skelton. “Also, China’s growing focus on professional military education suggests the U.S. should be pursuing possible opportunities for increased US-China engagement in this area.


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