Cheney criticizes China's arms buildup

NF Reporter · 02-22-2007, 08:32 PM

AP - Vice President Dick Cheney said Friday that China's recent anti-satellite weapons test and a rapid military buildup were "not consistent" with its stated aim of a peaceful rise as a global power.

Full Story...

waltky · 08-31-2007, 09:57 PM

Japan ain't buyin' it either...

Japan's defense chief not satisfied with China's explanation on military spending
August 31, 2007 – China failed to adequately explain its rising military spending at ministerial talks this week, and Tokyo will continue to press Beijing for more transparency in its army budget, the Japanese defense minister said Friday.

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Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan is in Japan on a five-day visit, the first by a Chinese defense chief in nearly a decade. The trip is aimed at reversing a freeze in defense contacts between the two Asian neighbors and improving overall ties, amid persistent concerns in Japan about China's military buildup. Tokyo has expressed alarm at the pace of Chinese defense spending and the lack of transparency in Beijing's military budget.

“I strongly urged him that China should increase transparency but his explanations were abstract and not necessarily specific,” Japan's Defense Minister Masahiko Komura said. “I will repeatedly bring up the subject.” Meanwhile, Cao visited the Yokosuka Naval Base and was scheduled to see an army training school later. During Thursday's talks, Komura urged China to disclose more details about its soaring military budget, which increased by 17.8 percent to $44.9 billion for 2007.

Cao said Beijing was increasing its transparency, and that the growth in spending has largely gone to salaries, uniforms and modernizing equipment. Komura and Cao agreed to launch a working group to discuss possibly setting up a telephone hot line between their armies and reciprocal port calls. “I think we did well in the area of exchanges, but we could do better about transparency,” Komura said.

Cao said in a speech to Japanese defense officials and lawmakers Thursday that China's military growth was not aimed at any country or people. Tokyo's ties with Beijing have been improving since Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a fence-mending trip to China immediately after taking office a year ago, reversing a steep decline in relations under his predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi. The last Chinese defense minister to visit Japan was Chi Haotian in February 1998.

Source

waltky · 09-23-2007, 01:03 PM

No wonder they're copying our jets...

China set to reap benefit of technology transfer warns defence expert
21 September 2007 - Technology designed by Western aviation prime contractors is finding its way into the Chinese defence industry

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Increasing commercial aviation deals involving Western primes and industries in China will lead inevitably to the transfer of high technologies to the Chinese defence sector, according to a leading East Asian defence expert. On 17 and 18 September, US-based Boeing and pan-European company Eurocopter stated in two separate communiqu�s the economic significance of the Chinese commercial sector in years to come - and both companies have signed agreements with companies in China to produce equipment designed to meet that predicted requirement.

The companies released their statements before the Aviation Expo/China 2007 show, which runs from 19-22 September at the China International Exhibition Centre in Beijing. Ron Huisken, a senior fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre in the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies in the Australian National University, told Jane's on 19 September that although a number of restrictions on the transfer of commercial and dual-use technology are in place, it is inevitable that technology - or expertise of how to use the technology - will be passed onto the defence sector.

"Any technology that in any way can improve the development of defence will be considered as a trophy by the Chinese," said Huisken. "Although there are restrictions in place, it is impossible to completely restrict the technology. If someone spots a new method of riveting on a commercial aircraft, for example, then it will be very difficult to stop that technology ending up in defence."

http://www.janes.com/news/security/c...0921_1_n.shtml

waltky · 10-06-2007, 05:35 PM

Now they gangin' up on us with the Reds...

Russia, China-led military alliances sign agreement
10/6/2007 • A Russia-led defence alliance signed an agreement yesterday to link up with a China-headed security body, but both sides denied they were challenging the Western alliance, Nato.

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The agreement, signed in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, links the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), to the Collective Security Treaty (CST), an alliance grouping seven former Soviet states including Russia. "The memorandum will allow us to broaden cooperation between our similar organisations in security issues, in fighting crime and illegal drug traffic," SCO General Secretary Bolat Nurgaliyev said.

CST general secretary Nikolai Bordyuzha said confronting the West was not in the plans of the sister groups. "We have no plans to compete with Nato," he said. "On the contrary, we are striving to cooperate with Nato."

The agreement was signed on the margins of a regular summit of leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, a loose confederation of former Soviet states, excluding the Baltic republics. China's fast-growing economy is hungry for energy and Beijing has been competing with Europe and the United States for supplies from Russia and Central Asia, both rich in oil and gas.

Source

waltky · 10-15-2007, 11:34 PM

China got a new advanced submarine...

New Chinese Subs, Hiding in Plain Sight
October 15, 2007 - Two secret ballistic missile subs have turned up, caught on Google Earth.

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Back in July, Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists created something of a stir when he reported the sighting of a new Chinese nuclear-missile submarine, known as a Jin-class SSBN (Type 094). Now he writes, China has at least two, and perhaps three.

How does he illustrate this? From spy satellites or by going into restricted territory (as others have done)? No, you can see them by poking around Google Maps. The location is HERE. We had posts about this back in July. You can find them, with background information, HERE and HERE. The first sighting was made at a bse called Xiaopingdao. This newer one, he says, is at a shipyard at the city of Huludao, about 400 km (or 250 miles) east of Beijing.

"Whether China has now launched two or three Jin-class SSBNs is still unclear," writes Kristensen. "The image of the first SSBN discovered at Xiaopingdao in July 2007 was taken on October 17, 2006. The new image of the two SSBNs at Huludao was taken six and a half months later on May 3, 2007. One possibility is that the Xiaopingdao SSBN returned to Huludao for repair or further adjustment and was captured on the 2007 photo together with the second SSBN. Another possibility is that the two Huludao SSBNs are indeed the second and third boats of the new Jin-class SSBN." The Chinese Navy has not, as best we can tell, announced anything about its submarines. But it's also not hiding them.

Science and Society

See also:

China's Hu pushes modern military
October 15th, 2007 -- China's sprawling military will speed up its modernization during the next five years, increasingly adopting high-tech battle systems and upgrading training, Chinese President Hu Jintao said Monday.

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In his keynote speech at the opening of the Communist Party Congress, held every five years, Hu said he was committed to making China's military more modern. "In keeping with the new trends in world military affairs and the new requirements of China's development, we must promote innovation in military theory, technology, organization and development," Hu said.

Hu's comments have additional weight because he is also the party's leader and head of the party commission that controls the People's Liberation Army, the world's largest standing army with 2.3 million members. The PLA retains its highest loyalty to the Communist Party, not the Chinese state, and Hu said the party's absolute leadership over the armed forces was a "fundamental principle."

Reflecting that special status, PLA members were heavily represented at the congress, accounting for about 13 percent of the 2,217 delegates attending, even though the armed forces make up just 2.2 percent of the party's 73 million members. About 1.6 million members of the PLA and the paramilitary People's Armed Police are party members.

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waltky · 11-10-2007, 08:01 PM

Sneakin' up on us...

The uninvited guest: Chinese sub pops up in middle of U.S. Navy exercise, leaving military chiefs red-faced
10th November 2007 - When the U.S. Navy deploys a battle fleet on exercises, it takes the security of its aircraft carriers very seriously indeed.

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At least a dozen warships provide a physical guard while the technical wizardry of the world's only military superpower offers an invisible shield to detect and deter any intruders. That is the theory. Or, rather, was the theory.

American military chiefs have been left dumbstruck by an undetected Chinese submarine popping up at the heart of a recent Pacific exercise and close to the vast U.S.S. Kitty Hawk - a 1,000ft supercarrier with 4,500 personnel on board. By the time it surfaced the 160ft Song Class diesel-electric attack submarine is understood to have sailed within viable range for launching torpedoes or missiles at the carrier.

According to senior Nato officials the incident caused consternation in the U.S. Navy. The Americans had no idea China's fast-growing submarine fleet had reached such a level of sophistication, or that it posed such a threat.

One Nato figure said the effect was "as big a shock as the Russians launching Sputnik" - a reference to the Soviet Union's first orbiting satellite in 1957 which marked the start of the space age. The incident, which took place in the ocean between southern Japan and Taiwan, is a major embarrassment for the Pentagon.

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Chinese Navy Equipped for submarine blockade against Taiwan, says editor of Jane's Fighting Ships
4 May 2001 - "While much attention has centered on Chinese surface and air forces, rather less attention has been given to Chinese submarines and the alternative, and some would argue more likely, scenario of a blockade of Taiwan", states ex-UK Royal Navy Commodore Stephen Saunders...

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He notes that China now has great numbers of submarines, many basic diesel attack versions, and that " the familiar environment of the South China Sea and low transit times to bases are also strong factors in favour of a submarine campaign, perhaps in conjunction with mining, as a preferred option if military force is to be deployed."

"The underwater environment is a great leveller when it comes to military sophistication and the presence of any submarine, however elderly, hugely complicates the life of the naval commander", states Saunders, adding that "if an example is needed, the influence of one Argentine submarine on British operations to recapture the Falkland Islands should not be forgotten."

Five nuclear-powered attack submarines are at the forefront of the force but the majority of boats are diesel-powered and include a mixture of relatively modern Russian "Kilo" class and indigenous "Song" and "Ming" classes with some thirty older Russian `Romeo' class.

He also notes that China's "formidable [Naval] force" is hindered by "a relatively unsophisticated command, control and communications infrastructure and low numbers of reconnaissance and airborne early warning aircraft", which is a contributing reason why it lacks "a capability to project power over oceanic distances." China is employing new experience and reverse engineering to attempt to catch up with the West with this technology. In summary, Saunders says that a Chinese Ministry of Defence performance report, if such a document were to exist, "might contain a phrase like 'satisfactory progress to date but a long way to go.'"

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waltky · 11-30-2007, 09:44 PM

Wonder what they leadin' up to??...

China says relations with U.S. 'disturbed'
Friday, November 30, 2007 -- China's last-minute cancellation of a U.S. Navy visit to Hong Kong wasn't a misunderstanding, but rather a result of ties with Washington being "disturbed and harmed," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

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Spokesman Liu Jianchao did not directly say what had prompted the cancellation, although he alluded to recent actions that angered Beijing, including the U.S. Congress honoring the Dalai Lama and U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. Liu denounced a report that said Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told U.S. President George W. Bush that barring aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk from entering Hong Kong harbor last week was a isunderstanding.

"The report is not in line with the facts," Liu said at a regular news briefing. He refused to elaborate. Liu appeared to indicate that China had canceled the visit deliberately to register its displeasure over U.S. actions, as it has done occasionally with previous Hong Kong port calls.

China had later reversed its decision denying entry to the USS Kitty Hawk and its escort vessels, but only after the strike group had already left the area. The ships did not turn back to carry out the planned Thanksgiving visit and continued to their home port in Japan. "We have all along, on the principle of sovereignty, approved (port calls) on a case by case basis. Out of humanitarian considerations, we agreed to allow the strike group to make a port call," Liu said.

Beijing had earlier refused port entry for two U.S. Navy minesweepers seeking to refuel and find shelter from an approaching storm. The U.S. Defense Department said it was officially protesting the Chinese moves.

More China says relations with U.S. 'disturbed' - The China Post

waltky · 12-16-2007, 02:46 PM

China gonna edge out India...

Future military balance likely to tilt in favour of China against India, says US expert
Dec 15, 2007 : India's military power vis-a-vis China is presently relatively balanced, but in the next decade or two, New Delhi would find it difficult to counter any offensive from Beijing, considering the fast pace of modernisation being undertaken by the Chinese forces.

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"Sino-India military balance is relatively stable..., but it would not be true in a decade or two," said noted US strategic expert Dr. Ashley J. Tellis during a seminar titled 'Chinese Military Modernisation And Asian Security', here on Saturday. Dr. Tellis, who played a crucial role in initiating the talks between India and the United States on the civil nuclear cooperation agreement and has carried out research on China's military strength, said that Beijing in its pursuit of fast economic growth would not like to spoil existing international peace, though it will not be deterred from being involved in small tactical operations.

In his opinion, India is threat number two for the Chinese and follows Japan, which remains Beijing's arch-rival in the region. Dr. Tellis discounted fears of Chinese using nuclear missiles as artillery fires against India in a future conflict. He said that any future Sino-India conflict would remain a limited one, but skirmishes would occur along the disputed 3700-km long border.

He said that as per his inference China is not keen to resolve border or territorial disputes with either Japan or India, since Beijing thinks that in the days ahead as it emerges as a powerful nation, it would be able to get a better deal. "They still think that they can wait, and they can have a better deal when they become strong," he said.

More Future military balance likely to tilt in favour of China against India, says US expert

waltky · 12-19-2007, 12:19 AM

China sneakin' up on us...

China's submarine force awaits a cultural revolution
17 December 2007 - In the mid-1990s, the US Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) released a series of unclassified reports that sought to highlight the threat to the US Navy (USN) and its allies posed by the continued development and proliferation of advanced weapon systems and maritime platforms.

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One such document entitled 'Worldwide Submarine Challenges' - first published in 1996 and updated in the following year - was a glossy, 30-page dossier reviewing trends in the development and proliferation of advanced submarine technology, and identifying how these would test or challenge the USN's anti-submarine capabilities. While intended as a way to send a clear message to the US Congress about the necessity of continued investment in the United States submarine force, 'World Submarine Challenges' also offered the most revealing intelligence and analysis available to the media. Russia loomed large, being assessed as the qualitative "technological pacing challenge" against which US capabilities should be measured on the grounds of its submarine capability, operating patterns, and the proficiency of engineering and industrial complex. The spotlight also fell on so-called 'countries of concern', with Iran and North Korea picked out for specific scrutiny.

However, it was the ONI's analysis of the development of China's submarine force that particularly stood out. Beijing's forward plans, according to the ONI, made China "the most challenging submarine force outside Russia throughout the next decade". While the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) already operated a numerically large submarine force - estimated at that time to be the third largest in the world - most of its boats were judged to be "of dated technology and capability". However, the US report's preface noted that China had "announced a more expansive maritime strategy, demonstrated a strong commitment to upgrade its submarine force with foreign technology, and plans to build new nuclear and conventional submarines for the next century".

A little over a decade after the ONI released these public assessments of the PLAN's ambitions, it is appropriate to reappraise how far China's submarine force has come in the intervening period. Notwithstanding the characteristic secrecy surrounding the Chinese military, a range of sources - including state technical media, commercially available satellite imagery and photography released via Chinese internet sites - have given Western observers an insight into the continuing transformation of the PLAN's submarine force. Yet many questions remain as to the fleet's future direction and contribution to China's wider maritime strategy.

China's submarine force awaits a cultural revolution - Jane's Defence News

waltky · 01-27-2008, 01:10 AM

China got new ramjet missile?...

China hints at new air-launched missiles
25 January 2008 : China appears to be developing ramjet-powered air-to-air missiles

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A series of images released via the Internet has revealed a number of new Chinese air-to-air missile (AAM) programmes; Jane's has identified three new strands in Chinese AAM development including enhanced versions of existing weapons and hitherto unknown designs. While very little information accompanies the images, they appear to confirm several anticipated trends in Chinese AAM technology, including advanced, agile dogfight weapons and extended-range ramjet propulsion systems.

In one image a pair of small AAMs are seen carried on shoulder launchers above an SD-10 (PL-12) active radar-guided missile: this is the first time such a 'three-shot' pylon has been seen on a Chinese combat aircraft. The weapons are carried by a Xian JH-7A strike aircraft - the first time that platform has been seen with such sophisticated AAMs. The new small AAMs - if that is what they are - are unusual as they are not fitted with an infrared (IR) seeker. Both items instead have radomes, suggesting they might be active radar-guided weapons like the SD-10.

Russian specialist seeker design house AGAT has developed a special, miniaturised version of its 9B-1103M seeker to fit such small-diameter missiles. The 9B-1103M-150 has a 150 mm wide antenna and AGAT representatives have told Jane's that it was produced in response to specific customer interest from outside Russia. AGAT declined to identify that customer.

China hints at new air-launched missiles - Jane's Defence Systems News

waltky · 01-29-2008, 01:06 AM

Granny says dey gettin' ready t' sneak up on us...

China's weapons exceed self-defense needs: US military
29 Jan 2008, WASHINGTON: The United States said on Monday it found "troubling" China's admission that its weapons systems capability exceeds levels Beijing itself has defined as necessary for its self-defense.

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The head of the US armed forces in the Asia-Pacific, Admiral Timothy Keating, said he was told by Chinese leaders during a visit to Beijing that its so-called "area denial weapons" were "to protect those things that are ours." But he said, "We find it troubling that the capabilities of some of these weapons systems would tend to exceed our own expectations for protecting those things that are 'ours.'" Keating said the United States had "intelligence that reinforces my opinion that China is developing, fielding and has in place weapons that could be characterized as having, amongst perhaps other purposes, an ability to restrict movement in and around certain areas on the sea, in the air or under the sea.

"I'll go back to the point we made a couple of times already -- that we understood China's intentions, not just their transparency, not just the fact that these weapons exist. We know they exist," he said. "It's why are they being fielded," Keating asked, speaking at a Washington forum of the US-based Asia Society. The Pentagon fears China's area-denial arms, including missiles, can be used to attack US aircraft carriers and ships, reports have said. "The PLA (China's People's Liberation Army) appears engaged in a sustained effort to develop the capability to interdict, at long ranges, aircraft carrier and expeditionary strike groups that might deploy to the western Pacific," according to the annual Pentagon report last year to the US Congress.

"Increasingly, China's area denial/anti-access forces overlap, providing multiple layers of offensive systems, utilizing the sea, air, and space," the report said. The United States fears a Chinese military buildup could blunt any US intervention in a conflict over Taiwan and challenge US naval access to the Asian region. A year ago, China used a ballistic missile to destroy a Chinese weather satellite in low Earth orbit, causing worries in Washington that Beijing could disrupt US military satellites in a regional conflict. In addition, a Chinese submarine approached a US aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean and surfaced within firing range of its torpedoes and missiles before being detected.

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waltky · 02-12-2008, 11:35 PM

Granny says, "Dey gonna try an' take us by suprise, just like at Pearl Harbor...

Chinese Experts Configure Attack on Taiwan, Study Says
February 12, 2008 - China is preparing for an eventual cross-strait showdown with Taiwan and may be prepared to use tactics that could stop the United States from getting involved, according to an analysis of publicly available information on China's military by the RAND Corporation.

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According RAND, China's defenses, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), has identified the U.S. military's reliance on information systems as "a significant vulnerability that, if successfully exploited, could paralyze or degrade U.S. forces to such an extent that victory could be achieved" against Taiwan. The writings RAND analyzed were not official war plans but the opinions, analysis, and recommendations of the Chinese military community.

The Chinese leadership believes that the key to victory over the U.S. is achieving tactical surprise, according to RAND. The report quotes one Chinese military expert as saying that taking the U.S. by surprise would "cause confusion within and huge psychological pressure on the enemy and help [China] win relatively large victories at relatively small costs." In such an attack, the Chinese would blockade critical sea lanes in the Taiwan region and strike American logistics facilities, command-and-control centers, ports, airfields, and aircraft carrier battle groups in the area.

China could also launch cyber-attacks against American computer networks, physically destroy orbiting spy satellites, and launch an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) strike to deaden U.S. electronics systems in the region. Based on the U.S. experience in Somalia, the Chinese experts cited by RAND think the United States has "a limited capacity to withstand personnel casualties."

America's perspective

bizwiz · 02-13-2008, 09:50 AM

I think this is just paranoia by the US. History has never shown China to be an occupier and I don't think they plan to start now. They are just happy making it big in the world economy.

waltky · 02-13-2008, 04:37 PM

biz wrote: China to be an occupier and I don't think they plan to start now.

What about Tibet?

waltky · 02-14-2008, 11:16 PM

Looks like they gettin' ready to take advantage of our tie-up in Iraq...

China's Rapid Military Advances Worry DOD, Analysts
February 14, 2008 - Chinese armed forces are accelerating a "comprehensive transformation" of their military and may soon have enough equipment and trained personnel to take over Taiwan and expand communist China's domain into the greater Western Pacific, according to the Department of Defense (DOD) and military experts

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China's Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) "is pursuing comprehensive transformation from a mass army designed for protracted wars of attrition on its own territory to one capable of fighting and winning short-duration, high-intensity conflicts against high-tech adversaries," according to the "Defense Department's 2007 Annual Report to Congress on the Military Power of the People's Republic of China."

The report claims that China "has the greatest potential to compete militarily with the United States" by obtaining technologies that will offset the United States' current military advantages - technologies that would enable China to exert its influence "far beyond the Asia-Pacific Rim."

China already holds some military superiority over the U.S., at least at sea, according to John J. Tkacik, a senior research fellow in Asian Studies at the conservative Heritage Foundation.

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waltky · 03-02-2008, 05:00 PM

U.S.Wants Transparency with China...

U.S. Hopes for Transparency with China's Military
March 2, 2008 - U.S. Admiral Travels Around China To Learn More About Its Army

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The U.S. is hooking up a military hotline directly to China, like the one the country used to have with the Russians during the Cold War, ABC News has learned exclusively. The news says a lot about the fastest growing military in the world, as some question whether China is a friend or foe of the U.S. ABC News got an inside look at China's military headquarters. The Bayi, which basically is the Chinese Pentagon, is an organization so secretive it didn't even have a published phone number until recently. Even now, it doesn't have a spokesperson.

Though some worry about the might of China's army, which is the fastest growing military in the world, but one top Chinese general said Americans shouldn't be worried. "There is such a big gap between our military and the American military. If you say you are afraid, it means that you don't have enough courage," said he said. Even by the Pentagon's estimates, China spends only about one-quarter of what the U.S. spends on defense. Still China's military is growing every bit as fast as its economy and some analysts said it's the quickest military build-up in history.

"The Chinese military is developing impressive capabilities. We are watching carefully," said Admiral Timothy Keating, who as the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific keeps an eye on China. Keating has traveled throughout China in order to get to know its generals, but the problem is that the Chinese military is so secretive it's impossible to know what they are doing.

The Chinese have extended an olive branch. The country insisted when Keating flies over Chinese airspace he takes one of its planes. "They have been quite firm that we fly on their airplane inside their territorial airspace," Keating said. "[It's] understandable." The sight of Chinese and American officials flying around together may be odd, but it gives China the chance to show its hospitality and also let's the Chinese watch Keating while he's in the country.

More ABC News: U.S.Wants Transparency with China

waltky · 03-05-2008, 01:02 AM

China Causes Worries...

'Cold War Thinking'? Or a Threat from China?
March 04, 2008 - The Defense Department has put out a report worrying about China and its growing military abilities.

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The report -- something it's been mandated to do annually since 2000 -- says that the Chinese are developing new ICBMs, cruise and ballistic missiles that could hit enemy ships in wartime, and that, as you may recall, they tested their ability last year to destroy a satellite in orbit. David Sedney, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia: "In the counter-space area, the Chinese test of an anti-satellite system, a little over a year ago, was something that really brought home, in a very dramatic way, the capabilities that China has been developing, not that we weren't aware of those developments beforehand. But when you see something actually used, then it certainly attracts your attention. Because you've seen that not only are they working on it but they've done it; they've acquired that capability.

"We continue to ask the Chinese to sit down and talk to us about that test, and they haven't." Sedney also says there have been computer intrusions traced back to China -- not necessarily the work of the Chinese government, but "certainly very consistent with what you would need if you were going to actually carry out cyberwarfare, and the kinds of activities that are carried out are consistent with a lot of writings we see from Chinese military and Chinese military theorists."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry replied this morning that the Pentagon is displaying "Cold War thinking." Spokesman Qin Gang: "This U.S. report advocates the China threat theory and is seriously not in accordance with the facts and interferes in China's internal affairs."

More Science and Society

waltky · 03-12-2008, 04:54 PM

Spending is out of proportion to defense needs...

Top U.S. military commander concerned at China's spending
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 - The top U.S. military commander in the Pacific on Tuesday expressed concern at China's huge boost in military spending and said it will take considerable effort to breakdown years of mistrust between Washington and Beijing.

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Admiral Timothy Keating told lawmakers at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that China's rising defense spending threatens U.S.-ally Taiwan and U.S. capabilities in Asia. U.S.-Chinese military relations, he said, have fallen short of expectations, with China showing little willingness to conduct port visits, sea exercises or midlevel officer exchanges. He noted what he called China's "perplexing cancellation" of port calls for U.S. ships in Hong Kong last year.

Despite some high-level U.S. visits to China, including by the U.S. Defense Secretary, "there are miles to go" before the relationship improves, Keating said. "The breakdown of decades-old mistrust and custom is going to take a lot more effort," Keating said.

Beijing has announced a nearly 18 percent boost in defense spending. The increase this year to nearly US$59 billion (euro38 billion) is the 18th double digit percentage increase in 19 years. Keating urged China to better explain its military spending. "Being able to see what they have doesn't tell us what they intend to do," Keating said. China insists the buildup is defensive.

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waltky · 05-02-2008, 06:44 PM

China up to somethin'...

China's secret nuke submarine base a threat to Asia
May 2,`08 : China has secretly built a major underground nuclear submarine base that could threaten Asian countries and challenge American power in the region.

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Satellite imagery, passed to The Daily Telegraph, shows that a substantial harbour has been built which could house a score of nuclear ballistic missile submarines and a host of aircraft carriers. In what will be a significant challenge to US Navy dominance and to countries ringing the South China Sea, one photograph shows China's latest 094 nuclear submarine at the base just a few hundred miles from its neighbours. Other images show numerous warships moored to long jettys and a network of underground tunnels at the Sanya base on the southern tip of Hainan Island.

What may concern the Pentagon are the massive tunnel entrances, estimated to be 60ft high, built into hillsides around the base. Sources fear they could lead to caverns capable of hiding up to 20 nuclear submarines from spy satellites. The US Department of Defence has estimated that China will have five 094 nuclear submarines operational by 2010 with each capable of carrying 12 JL-2 nuclear missiles. Janes Intelligence Review obtained the images after the periodical was given access to imagery from the commercial satellite company DigitalGlobe.

The development so close to the sea lanes vital to Asian economies "can only cause concern far beyond these straits," claimed the paper quoting Western military analysts. Military analysts believe that China's substantial build up of its forces is gaining pace, put has remained hidden from the world in the build-up to the Olympics. China has diverted much of its resources from the huge Peoples Liberation Army to the navy, air force and missile development.

Within the next five to 10 years, the Peoples Liberation Navy is expected to build up to six carriers that will also coincide with the Royal Navy's construction of two major carriers. The location of the base off Hainan will also give the submarines access to very deep water exceeding 5,000 metres within a few miles, making them even harder to detect. So far China has offered no public explanation for its building at Sanya.

China's secret nuke submarine base a threat to Asia, US

waltky · 05-03-2008, 10:24 PM

China startin' new Cold War...

Chinese nuclear submarine base prompts 'new Cold War' warning
May 3`08 : A new Cold War may be brewing in the Far East following reports of China having secretly developed a major nuclear submarine base.

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The Telegraph quoted defence analyst Alex Neill as saying that the construction of the submarine base at Sanya on Hainin Island is indicative of Beijing "ramping up its operational capability" and developing a "blue water navy" that would challenge the dominance of the US in the Pacific. In the last 20 years China had gone from a coastal force to a navy capable of "exerting its influence. It is clearly looking at a wider area of operations in the Far East, but it also does not like the US placing their carrier battle groups in the area. In due course this could lead to Cold War levels of stand off," a senior Royal Navy officer was quoted, as saying.

Kerry Brown, the China expert at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, warned of "hawkish" elements in the two million strong People's Liberation Army (PLA) who were "very focused" on Taiwan. "The main source of friction is Taiwan and you cannot rule out a nationalistic military faction coming to power to taking a punt to have a quick go," he said. Chinese defence expenditure is estimated by the Pentagon to be 50 billion dollars, but analysts believe large chunks of the budget are "squirreled away" and it could be as high as 200 billion dollars, making it the second largest in the world after America.

The PLA is reportedly developing a strategy called the "sea denial campaign" which would prevent America intervening in any conflict with Taiwan, Brown claimed. Much to America's disgust, China's missile accuracy has been improved from 5km down to 1km. China's own space programme - that some experts believe equals Cape Canaveral in size - is also expanding close to the navy base on Hainan Island.

Chinese nuclear submarine base prompts 'new Cold War' warning