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PENTAGON REPORT RAISES CONCERN OVER CHINA'S MILITARY BUILDUP

Central News Agency

2005-07-20 20:09:22

    Taipei, July 20 (CNA) The latest report on China's military power published by the U.S. Department of Defense is aimed at reminding Asian countries of their obligation to pay attention to the development of China and to beef up their defense capabilities, a local analyst said Wednesday.

    The Pentagon report says the cross-Taiwan Strait military balance appears to be shifting toward China as a result of China's sustained economic growth, growing diplomatic leverage and improvements in the People's Liberation Army's military capabilities.

    China has deployed 650-730 mobile CSS-6 and CSS-7 short-range ballistic missiles to garrisons opposite Taiwan and deployment of these systems is increasing at a rate of about 100 missiles per year, it says.

    According to Wong Ming-hsien, an associate professor at Tamkang University's Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, the report is basically an assessment of the military power of China and Taiwan, which shows that Taiwan lags behind China in terms of land, sea and air military capabilities, as well as missile deployment.

    The expansion in defense spending by China since the 1990s, which has intensified the cross-strait military imbalance, is worrying the United States, Wong said.

    While Taiwan has had problems acquiring advanced weapons owing to China's international isolation of the island, China has been able to obtain weapons of precise destruction from Russia and Ukraine, Wong noted.

    Through the report, Washington is trying to remind Asian countries, including Taiwan, that they have a responsibility and obligation to pay attention to the rise of China as a superpower and improve their defense capabilities, he said.

    He said the United States, which considers China the most aggressive nation in the 21st century, is also trying to remind its security authorities to make proper preparations in the face of China's military development and to continue to engage China to ensure Beijing abides by the international code of conduct.

    Meanwhile, Alexander Huang, head of Tamkang University's Graduate Institute of American Studies, claimed that it will be missing the point if people believe the Pentagon report is aimed at pushing Taiwan to pass the budget for its latest arms procurement package from the United States.

    According to Huang, although China has made Taiwan an excuse for its military buildup, the military modernization of China is not targeted solely at Taiwan but is also intended to pose a threat to Japan as well as U.S. military bases and aircraft carrier battle groups.

    Huang said China has no intention of waging a war against the U.S. military but is trying to create a psychological effect to prompt U.S. policy-makers to think twice before interfering in cross-strait conflicts.

(By Y.F. Low)

ENDITEM/J