In an annual report to Congress, the US Defense Department said Monday that China was ramping up investment in an array of areas including nuclear weapons, long-range missiles, submarines, aircraft carriers and cyber warfare.

"The balance of cross-Strait military forces continues to shift in the mainland's favor," the report said.

The Pentagon said China's military build-up on the Taiwan Strait has "continued unabated" despite improving political and commercial relations since the island elected Beijing-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou in 2008.

Taiwan said Tuesday it was "closely monitoring" China's arms build-up and renewed calls for the United States to sell it upgraded F16 jets and diesel submarines in the wake of the report.

"China has not given up the use of force against Taiwan, and we are closely monitoring China's military developments. We ask the public to rest assured," defense ministry spokesman Yu Sy-tue told AFP.

The report -- which US officials delayed for five months amid strains with China -- covered 2009, before the United States approved a 6.4 billion-dollar arms package for the island in January.

China considers Taiwan, where the mainland's defeated nationalists fled in 1949, to be a province awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

The military report said China was "already looking at contingencies beyond Taiwan," including through a longstanding project to build a far-reaching missile that could potentially strike US carriers deep in the Pacific.

"Current trends in China's military capabilities are a major factor in changing East Asian military balances and could provide China with a force capable of conducting a range of military operations in Asia well beyond Taiwan," it said.

China's military doctrine has traditionally emphasized the ability to strike within an area extending to Japan's Okinawa island chain and throughout the South China Sea east of Vietnam, the report said.

But Chinese strategists are now looking to expand their reach further to be able to hit targets as far away as Guam, including much of mainland Japan and the Philippines, it said.

China is working on the longer-range precision missile, but probably needs more work on the technical infrastructure to put the weapon into use, an official who helped draft the report said on condition of anonymity.

Japan said it would keep a close eye on the Chinese build-up.

"Studying the latest US report, Japan will keep paying attention to China's military trend as it will have a significant impact on security in the region, including Japan, and on the international community," a defense ministry spokeswoman said.

Japan and Vietnam, which both have historic tensions with China, have reported rising incidents with China's military in recent months and the report predicted China may step up patrols in the South China Sea.

In March, China said it was raising its defense budget by 7.5 percent to 532.1 billion yuan -- 77.9 billion dollars at the exchange rate at the time -- breaking a string of double-digit increases.

The Pentagon study was cautious on suggestions that China's military was tightening its belt, saying the spending growth may be lower simply because the forces were at the end of a five-year program.

The Pentagon paper estimated China's overall military-related spending was more than 150 billion dollars in 2009 when including areas that do not figure in the publicly released budget.

President Barack Obama's administration has sought to broaden cooperation with China, but bilateral military exchanges were broken off after the US agreed an arms package with Taiwan that included helicopters, missile defenses and mine-sweepers.

The Pentagon said it wanted dialogue with China to avoid any "miscalculation" between the two militaries.

"We stand prepared to work with the Chinese if they are prepared to work with us," the anonymous official said.

earlier related report
Taiwan, Japan vow to keep close eye on China
Taipei (AFP) Aug 17, 2010 - Taiwan renewed its call Tuesday on the United States to sell it advanced weaponry as it joined Japan in vowing to keep a close eye on China's rising military power.

Taipei and Tokyo were reacting to the release of a US Defense Department report which warned that China's expanding capabilities are changing the strategic balance in East Asia.

"We hope the US can continue to supply Taiwan with defensive weapons in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act, including F16 C/Ds, diesel submarines and other items we have requested," Taiwan defence ministry spokesman Yu Sy-tue said.

Taiwan has repeatedly stated its wish to acquire the F16 C/Ds -- an upgraded version of the F16 fleet currently deployed by the island -- and the diesel submarines, but the US government has so far been non-committal.

Earlier this year, Beijing reacted angrily to an arms deal between Washington and Taiwan, saying it would cut military and security contacts with the United States.

"China has not given up the use of force against Taiwan and we are closely monitoring China's military developments. We ask the public to rest assured," Yu told AFP.

Using similar wording, Japan said it would "keep paying attention to China's military trend".

"It will have a significant impact on security in the region, including Japan, and on the international community," a defence ministry spokeswoman in Tokyo said.

"China is activating its navy in the East China Sea and in the Pacific," the spokeswoman said.

She said the defence ministry believed Beijing was extending its activities far offshore with the aim of protecting its territory, pre-empting Taiwan's possible independence and safeguarding its economic sea lanes.

China considers Taiwan, where the mainland's defeated nationalists fled in 1949, to be territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

In April, Tokyo protested after a Chinese naval helicopter made a close fly-by of one of its destroyers on the high seas off a southern Japanese island chain during exercises Japan considered provocative.

A similar incident took place near the Okinawan islands in the same month when 10 Chinese naval vessels, including two submarines, were seen sailing through international waters between Japan's southernmost islands.

In its annual report to Congress, the US Defense Department said Monday that China was ramping up investment in an array of areas including nuclear weapons, long-range missiles, submarines, aircraft carriers and cyber warfare.

The Pentagon paper estimated that China's overall military-related spending was more than 150 billion dollars in 2009, including areas that do not figure in the publicly released budget.

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News