| Report
Documents Chinese Military Power,
Calls for Transparency
(portuguese report)
By Jim
Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 25, 2007 – China must continue
to make strides in military transparency as it moves
forward to becoming a global power, Defense Department
officials said here today.
The officials briefed Pentagon reporters on background
following publication of the 2007 Military Power
of the People’s Republic of China report.
The annual report to Congress covers key developments
in China over the past year and changes in Chinese
military strategy.
President Bush characterized
U.S.-Chinese relations as good following his most
recent visit with Chinese President Hu Jintao in
April. He said the United States and China can work
together to further security and economic prosperity
in Asia and around the world.
The annual report
to Congress reflects the U.S. view that China is
an emerging regional military and economic power
with global aspirations.
“It paints
a picture of a country that … has steadily
devoted increasing resources to their military that
is developing some very sophisticated capabilities,”
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said during a
Pentagon news conference yesterday. Gates said the
report is a realistic appraisal of Chinese security
strategy.
Current relations
with China have improved since the low point following
the collision of a Chinese jet with a Navy EP-3
in 2001. Military-to-military ties are robust; there
are troops visits and port calls. Military education
exchange programs are being held at the senior and
mid-level officer level. Joint military exercises
are planned, and the two countries are working together
on regional concerns – such as North Korean
missile proliferation – and the danger bird
flu presents. There are also discussions about disaster
relief cooperation, officials said.
Gates wants China
to have more transparency on military budgeting
and strategy. The Chinese test of an anti-satellite
capability in January caught the world by surprise
and left many wondering what brought about that
particular operation.
The official Chinese
military budget is pegged at around $45 billion
this year. But the real number could be as much
as three times as high, officials said.
China’s defense
budget is increasing by double-digit percentages
per year, a rate that China has sustained for more
than 15 years, fueled by the country’s remarkable
economic growth, a defense official said. This year,
the increase was 17.8 percent.
“We are convinced
that China’s real defense spending is substantially
higher – in the range of $85 billion to $125
billion in 2007,” the official continued.
This discrepancy
between the official and actual figure is emblematic
of U.S. concerns on transparency. Hiding these sums
of money drives uncertainty over China’s intentions,
the official said.
“It is not
just a concern for the United States,” he
said. “Many aspects of China’s military
programs lead other nations to question China’s
intentions and adjust their own behavior.”
Among the sums off
the books are research and development expenditures,
some military procurement, foreign purchases and
dual-use technologies, officials said.
China is modernizing
its forces. Officials said its newest missile --
the solid-fueled, transportable Df-31 -- could be
used if needed. About 900 Chinese missiles are in
place opposite Taiwan, compared with 710 to 790
missiles in late 2005.
China is developing
home-grown advanced aviation and shipbuilding capabilities,
and buying foreign – armaments, mostly from
Russia. The report gives more information on Chinese
moves toward building an aircraft carrier.
Overall, Gates said
yesterday, the report is a balanced portrait of
Chinese military capabilities.
“It paints
a picture of a country that is devoting substantial
resources to the military and developing, as I say,
some very sophisticated capabilities,” he
said. “We wish that there were greater transparency,
that they would talk more about what their intentions
are, what their strategies are. These are assessments
that are in this publication. It would be nice to
hear firsthand from the Chinese how they view some
of these things.”
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