Pentagon´s report exaggerates China´s military build-up

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Source: CCTV.com | 05-30-2007 14:31

This is not the first time the report has seemingly exaggerated the "China threat."

Beijing actively promotes harmonious relations with other countries through peaceful dialogue, like the six-party talks, the China-ASEAN summit and the Shanghai cooperation forum. But some still see China as a potential threat.

The Pentagon Report routinely lists China as a potential threat.

To this, the Chinese government has expressed its "strong dissatisfaction" and "resolute opposition" to the report.

After the report was released, Jiang Yu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said China is a peace-loving country and adheres to a path of peaceful development.The Pentagon's report "exaggerates China's military strength and expenditures.

She says the country's build-up in defense is aimed at safeguarding national security and territorial integrity all necessary to any sovereign nation.

But the question that is left unanswered is why do other countries, such as the United States maintain the notion of a Chinese threat? And for this, we turn to Chinese observer Song Xiaojun.

Song Xiaojun, military expert, said, "Firstly, I think if the US fans fears of a China military threat, it will lend itself a leverage in persuading its Asia-Pacific allies such as Japan, Australia and even South Korea to import US weapons. Secondly, I think the report has exaggerated China's military capabilities so as to justify higher US defense spending."

The Pentagon report alleges that China's defense spending for 2007 lies between 85 and 125-billion US dollars, but the Chinese government says 45-billion US dollars is a more accurate figure.

In contrast, the Bush administration has requested 484-billion US dollars for its Defense Department, for the fiscal year starting from October 2007. And that figure does not include military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Observers say compared with the US, China is taking minor steps in its defense build-up and that the report is misleading and damaging China's image.

Song Xiaojun said, " The report has over-emphasized the so-called "China's military advantage" in the Asia-Pacific region. This will dent China's image as an active player in building a harmonious and multi-polar world. I think the report is misleading."

While China and the United States have been cooperating on the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue along with other international crises, some say the Pentagon's report on China's military development could underscore a new wave of "cold-war mentality".

Chinese analysts say it is exactly the mentality that is damaging the stability of the Asia-Pacific region.

Editor:Du Xiaodan