Pentagon report stresses limits of China's military threat
By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington
Published: July 20 2005 03:00 | Last updated: July 20 2005 03:00

China could pose a future military threat to other Asian countries but its current ability to project power beyond its periphery is "limited", the Pentagon said yesterday. In its long-awaited annual report on the Chinese military, the Pentagon concluded that China was increasing its efforts to prepare for a conflict over Taiwan, including taking longer-term measures to defend itself from other countries who could get involved in a conflict over Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a renegade province.

"We see China facing a strategic crossroads," the Pentagon report said. "Questions remain about the basic choices China's leaders will make as China's power and influence grow, particularly its military power." The report said the Chinese military was focusing in the short term on modernising its ability to fight short, high-intensity conflicts along its periphery. But it said the People's Liberation Army was also taking longer-term steps to increase its defences against the potential involvement of other countries in any conflict between China and Taiwan.

Those measures include expanding its arsenal of ballistic and cruise missiles, its submarine fleet, and purchasing advanced aircraft.

"Over the long term, if current trends persist, PLA capabilities could pose a credible threat to other modern militaries operating in the region," the report said.

The tone of the report echoes remarks by Donald Rumsfeld, defence secretary, who when speaking to a June meeting of Asian defence ministers in Singapore questioned why China was dramatically increasing its defence budget when "no nation threatens China". The report comes on the heels of comments by a senior Chinese general last week who suggested that China would be prepared to use nuclear weapons in any conflict with the US over Taiwan.