China says its massive military buildup is only for defensive purposes or for local wars, but its actions cast doubt on that claim, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Beijing also conceals much of its true actions and intentions in its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) military buildup, which could lead to miscalculation among other nations such as the United States, the annual report to Congress warns.
“China has begun a new phase of military development by beginning to articulate roles and missions for the PLA that go beyond China’s immediate territorial interests, but has left unclear to the international community the purposes and objectives of the PLA’s evolving doctrine and capabilities,” the report warned.
“Moreover, China continues to promulgate incomplete defense expenditure figures and engage in actions that appear inconsistent with its declaratory policies. The limited transparency in China’s military and security affairs poses risks to stability by creating uncertainty and increasing the potential for misunderstanding and miscalculation.”
China long has claimed that its massive military buildup is to provide for coastal defense. Or Beijing has claimed it is to prepare for a possible invasion and conquering of Taiwan just 100 miles from the mainland. Or Chinese military leaders may say the weapons buying spree is so China can guard sea lanes carrying its raw material imports or finished goods exports, even though sea lanes already are guarded by the U.S. Navy.
Some military analysts are concerned that China appears to be procuring hardware for its armed forces that is far beyond what is required for local wars or sea lanes patrols. For example:
The People’s Liberation Army Navy is procuring Jin Class submarines, nuclear-powered boats with unlimited range, carrying nuclear-tipped missiles with a range of almost 5,000 miles. That means, from 2,000 miles out in the Pacific Ocean, they could fire missiles that would hit New York City and Washington, D.C.
China also is purchasing Russian Sovremenny Class destroyers.
As well, the Sino forces have deployed a new land-based intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of about 7,000 miles able to strike North American targets.
China as well has purchased long-range bombers. And it plans to acquire new aircraft carriers.
Beyond that, it has about 1,500 radar-guided missiles pointed toward Taiwan, at the Taiwan Strait.
U.S. Navy ships aren’t radar-evading, except for two DDG 1000 destroyers now under construction, and the not-yet-commissioned Littoral Combat Ships, of which there are two. Therefore, the United States today couldn’t send aircraft carrier groups into the Taiwan Strait to thwart a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, at least not until stealthy U.S. aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor supersonic cruise fighter planes took out those missiles.
“The PLA is … developing longer range capabilities that have implications beyond Taiwan,” the report noted. “Some of these capabilities have allowed it to contribute cooperatively to the international community’s responsibilities in areas such as peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and counter-piracy. However, some of these capabilities, as well as other, more disruptive ones, could allow China to project power to ensure access to resources or enforce claims to disputed territories.”
Since then-President Nixon opened China to the West almost four decades ago, China has practiced mercantilism, selling enormous amounts of goods to others while importing far less itself, so that Beijing has built up huge dollar reserves. Those dollars have fueled the Chinese military buildup. The trade surplus with the United States exceeded $200 billion yearly for some time.
In a Pentagon briefing on the report, a senior defense official speaking not for attribution noted that secretive China admitted its defense spending totaled $60 billion last year, a 17.6 percent increase in just one year. But the true size of the Sino military outlays likely is more on the order of $105 billion to $150 billion, the official said.
“The pace and scope of China’s military transformation have increased in recent years, fueled by acquisition of advanced foreign weapons, continued high rates of investment in its domestic defense and science and technology industries, and far-reaching organizational and doctrinal reforms of the armed forces,” the report stated.
While the United States wants to see a prosperous China rising, military moves raise concerns, the report observed.
“Much uncertainty surrounds China’s future course, particularly regarding how its expanding military power might be used,” the report noted.
From 2003 to 2007, China also was an arms proliferator, selling some $7 billion worth of weapons to various nations across the globe, especially Pakistan.
To read the 78-page “Annual Report To Congress: Military Power of the People’s Republic of China 2009” in full, please go to http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs/China_Military_Power_Report_2009.pdf on the Web.