New York Times correspondent gave insights about China

2011-03-02 (China Military News cited from universe.byu.edu and written by Lok Yi Chan) — A New York Times’ Washington and Pentagon correspondent discussed the rise of China, speaking during a lecture on Wednesday.

Elizabeth Bumiller, veteran journalist for the New York Times, spoke in the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies. Her speech was titled “The Rise of China: What it Means to the United States.”

Bumiller told of her visit to Beijing, capital of China, with the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, and 14 other reporters, just a week before Wu Jintao, president of China, visited the White House. She described the meeting as “tumultuous, unscripted, full of embarrassment and intrigue.”

Bumiller said the goal of the trip was to address “the rockiest part of the U.S.-China relationship,” which is about the U.S. and China’s military.

She said Gates was concerned with Chinese military buildup in the Pacific and weapon technology development.

China has seen significant rise in military power in recent years, in which one of the most famous developments is the anti-ship ballistic missile. Bumiller explained while some U.S. officials see the increasing power as a challenge to the American naval presence in the Pacific, some other officials said the threat from China is overblown and China has not demonstrated its ability to use different weapons. She said according to a top navy’s officer, China is still a generation or two behind the U.S. military.