Jan.15 (China Military News cited from RTTNews) — American lawmakers Wednesday expressed serious concern over Chinese military build-up–a view shared by senior defense officials of the Obama Administration–at a Congressional hearing, ahead of the Quadrennial Defense Review’s recommendations about the country’s security policy for Asia.
Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he was concerned by the trends and ambiguities in China’s military modernization, including its missile-build-up across Taiwan and the steady increase of its power-projection capabilities.
Noting that China’s transparency on defense matters was still limited, he said that questions remained on that country’s strategic intentions.
Skelton said China’s defense budget was maintaining a double-digit, while supporting the American economy. Though Beijing was not necessarily destined to be a threat to the U.S., he, however, said there were trends and ambiguities that concerned Washington.
He said Washington must work together with Beijing for resolving conflicts and reducing tensions that contributed to global and regional instability. These included the
de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the Iranian nuclear issue and the situation in South Asia.
Wallace Gregson, assistant defense secretary for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, testified that China appeared to have benefited the most from the phenomenal growth of Asia.
“From India to Indonesia, China to Russia, and Australia to Japan, millions have moved from poverty to prosperity. China’s rapid development helps drive this extraordinary and dynamic growth. In turn, China gains greatly from Asia’s growth,” he said.
Gregson said China’s unprecedented and rapid rise as a regional, political and economic power with growing global influence in a dynamic environment, had significant implications for the Asia-Pacific region, the United States and the world.
He also expressed concern over China’s continued lack of openness and transparency in military affairs, a concern also voiced by its neighbors.
Supporting Gregson’s view, Admiral Robert Willard, commander-in-chief of the Hawaii-based U.S. Pacific Command, said China’s interest in a peaceful and stable environment that would support the country’s developmental goals was inconsistent with its new military capabilities.
These capabilities, he added, appeared designed to challenge American freedom of activity in the region, besides imposing China’s influence over its neighbors, including Washington’s regional allies and partners.
Adm. Willard said the claims of Chiness leaders that the double-digit military spending and dramatic increases in its capabilities, were defensive in nature and contributed to regional stability, appeared incompatible with the extent of sophisticated weaponry it was producing now.
The committee’s ranking Republican, Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon of California, cited China’s unannounced test of its missile defense system Monday as an example of his concerns about the “umbrella of uncertainty” surrounding that Communist country’s future.
He said he would scrutinize the final Quadrennial Defense Review, due out early next month, to ensure that China remained a priority for the Pentagon’s strategic planners.
Expressing apprehension that the Obama administration would downgrade the China threat to justify last year’s and future cuts to key defense programs, McKeon said that such cuts would embolden China to seek strategic parity with America.
