BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says China's rapidly developing defense capabilities are worrisome to the United States.
China has made strides in building a new stealth fighter jet and Washington is also concerned about a new ballistic missile that could theoretically explode a U.S. aircraft carrier nearly 2,000 miles out to sea. China has also apparently beaten U.S. estimates to develop that weapon.
Gates arrived Sunday in Beijing for talks about these weapons and other military issues with Chinese leaders.
"They clearly have potential to put some of our capabilities at risk," Gates told reporters traveling with him to Asia. "We have to pay attention to them, we have to respond appropriately with our own programs."
The United States has long known that China wanted to field a stealth jet, but development outpaced U.S. intelligence estimates, Gates said.
China is still years behind U.S. capabilities in radar-evading aircraft, and even by 2015 the United States would still have far more such aircraft flying than any other nation in the world, Gates said.
China says it does not pose a threat and its military forces are purely for defense — which in its definition includes deterring Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing claims as its territory, from declaring formal independence.
In an apparent nod to U.S. calls for more openness, China allowed video and pictures of last week's runway tests of its prototype stealth fighter to be taken and posted online.
Gates is trying to coax Chinese military leaders into more regular discussions with the U.S.
The Pentagon is focusing scarcer defense dollars on ways to counter the kinds of weapons China is now building. For example, Gates said recently he wants to spend more on a new long-range nuclear bomber and updated electronics gear for the Navy that could throw an incoming missile off course.
Gates will also visit South Korea for talks about averting war with the North, as well as Japan, which is alarmed by Chinese military moves.
The invitation to visit Beijing was a coup for Gates, who invited a Chinese counterpart for similar talks and a visit to the U.S. nuclear weapons headquarters in 2009.
14 comments:
Weapon building competitions will possibly and more than likely destroy our modern world and put hamanity back thousands of years.
Only humans with their smart intelligence and stupid, but greedy mind and behaviour can destroy our beautiful world.
Why don't they compete with each other in finding ways to eliminate poverty, discrimination, injustice and diseases that are the causes of human suffering?
Anet Khmer
Correction: put humanity back
Anet Khmer
You can be assured people in America we are building these weapons for peaceful purpose only - China
Don't worry! we'll have peace in a million years from now; by then our intelligence will be QQQ balance!
CHINA IS COMMUNIST AND VERY DANGEROUS. WHEN CHINA PROVIDED HER LEADERSHIP TO CAMBODIA, 2 MILLIONS PEOPLE DIED AND THE whole COUNTRY DESTROYED.
Sure she made America nervous. American people have every right to be feared of this evil country. It just so sad that the rest of the world can not learn from it as fast as they are trying to come up with new weapon.
Between April 17th of 1975 and Jan of 1979, China and Vietnam were the only two countries that had anything to do with Cambodia beside their little best stooge North Korea. Look what happened in those years. Just take a look at it!!!!!!!MF
China is bad but America is not any better. The difference is China has intentions to take over many weaker and smaller countries while the Americans have already done it (Iraq & Afghanistan).
Big countries like to act like bullies.
American doesn't take over. American was there to save freedom and people from an extremist. your f
* assh.le needed to know the real different. that's what you need.
the world is changed, please get used to it! cambodia is changed also, please know the fact! so, stop being biased with my country cambodia, ok! that was history already! cambodia is now moving or advancing forward like the rest of the developing world, you know! come to cambodia and see for yourself, ok! they say seeing is believing, so true! the KR is now history, there are now many skyscrapers, modern shopping malls, etc in phnom penh and the rest of cambodia is gradually developed like singapor, hong kong, korea, etc, you know! please get used to it! like it or not, we are here to develop as well! god bless cambodia.
a few more years from now, phnom penh and rest of cambodia may be unrecognizable due to the modernization of our country and cities all across cambodia, you know! enojoy it! god bless cambodia.
So only American can build weapons, no other countries could? America doesn't like competion, period. Only America can do anything it wants, nuked Japan in WW2, Vietnam War, 1st Pursian Gulf War, and now war on terror. According to America, any country who is becoming strong regionally or globally will be labeled as a threat to Ameica's allies, democracy, and the world. America sucessfully won the cold war with USSR through arms races. USSR out-spent itself until bankrupt and ultimately split USSR into many pieces. Look like China learned that lesson from USSR, so in return, China is using that clever tactic against America. By China spending more money building and modernizing her military, America will also have no choice but to do the same. This is going drag America more into debt. As bad as things are now, it might get worst. Who knows, maybe the America might become like former USSR, all broken up into little pieces.
10:46am you will be f* done when the f* Communist and extremist chinese regime is taking over the world. you f* ignorant about this f* regime.mf*ck
12:54pm, sounded like someone screwed you in the ass. exactly, you will be f*#king done when the big red chinese communist are taking over the world. you fu*#ing ignorant fuck. don't allow yourself to be stupid by america propaganda of big bad evil yellow ching is taking over the world. take your head out of your mother's ass and face reality. compare china and ameria tyranical behaviors, which done more damage to the world?
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