Spy Agencies Say China Is Expanding Its Military Forces and Ambitions
China is upgrading and expanding its conventional military forces as well as its antisatellite missiles and its nuclear forces, the new Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair told Congress. The hearing, before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, was an annual briefing about the current and future threats to the nation.
"We judge that China over the past several years has begun a substantially new phase in its military development by beginning to articulate roles and missions for the [the Chinese military] that go well beyond China's immediate territorial interests," Blair said in a written statement. "China's national security interests are broadening."
The expansion is both a positive and a worrying development for the United States. The expansion of the Chinese Navy, for instance, has included their participating in efforts against Somali pirates. Meanwhile, an expansion of conventional land forces may indicate a willingness to participate in peacekeeping operations, Blair said.
On the other hand, the annual threat assessment, which represents the consensus views of U.S. intelligence agencies, warns that China would increase its nuclear capabilities in the next 10 years. "Beijing seeks to modernize China's strategic forces in order to address concerns about the survivability of those systems in the face of foreign, particularly U.S., advances in strategic reconnaissance, precision strike, and missile defenses," Blair said in his statement.
On Taiwan, historically one of the thorniest issues between Beijing and Washington, Blair told the committee that the best strategy was "making sure that military measures are unattractive."
"Preparations for a possible Taiwan conflict continue to drive the modernization goals of the People's Liberation Army and the Chinese defense-industrial complex," he said. "It will likely remain the primary factor as long as the Taiwan situation is unresolved."
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Reader Comments
"The Coming China War's"
I don't think Havarro can state the World just looks the other way. The dynamics of the past
World Wars where minus the nuclear threat. Countries have to think twice before just jumping into a conflict with a major power with nuclear capabilities. If there is a Coming China War,
it will be the shortest in history. If China wants to take us out they just have to call in our debt and we could find ourself in a fiscal meltdown that would make the present fiscal problem chump change. From the standpoint of national security we probably are better off having massive debts owed to China. As long as we owe them a gazillion dollars they won't blow up your neighberhood. Why? Would you blow up a bank holding, lets say 2 million dollars of your money. Since China NEVER adheres too any trade treaties, which everyone knows, any further treaties are bound to keep our deficit at record highs. So i feel as lone as we have the safty of a massive debt shield we will be O.K.!!!! PS: My next book is going to be entitled: "The Coming I.O.U. Shield"
A call to arms.
Desperate criminals are doing desperate things. Criminals respect people when they have fear only. They know they will be punished if they commit crimes against well armed victims. It is important for China to be well armed and use any means necessary including nukes for punishing criminals, no matter how far they hide including moon-bases.
Engage, not Deny
Given China’s growing dependence on resources shipped via ocean lanes controlled by countries that are not exactly friendly to China, we should not hastily demonize a China that sees a need to power the world’s third largest economy and to feed a fifth of world population. For the most part, China is modernizing its weaponry systems manufactured in the 1980’s. China still cannot post a threat and less a challenge to U.S.’s military supremacy in the next 20-30 years. America should actively engage China on issues like trade imbalance, mutal investments, educational exchanges, military build-up, human rights, religious freedom, UN peace missions, regional conflicts, etc. and seek cooperations instead of confrontation with a growing giant. By speaking softly, U.S. can help China grow into a responsible member of the world community. By denying and antagonizing a proud people who feel it’s their destiny to return to world prominence, U.S. risks turning three quarters of the world into warring camps for decades to come.
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