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Chinese military build-up needs transparency: US

"We wish that there were greater transparency, that they [China] would talk more about what their intentions are, what their strategies are."

Robert Gates, US secretary of defense

China is steadily devoting more resources to its military, prompting new calls from the US Defense Department for that country to be more open about its intentions.

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said on Thursday that a new report on the status of China's military suggests that the Chinese are developing some sophisticated capabilities.

The report was expected to be released yesterday.

"I don't think it does any arm-waving," Gates told Pentagon reporters in a brief preview of the report. "I don't think it does any exaggeration of the threat. But it paints a picture of a country that is devoting substantial resources to the military and developing some very sophisticated capabilities."

The assessment, which comes out about this time each year, has issued persistent warnings that China is rapidly extending its military reach, buying more long-range aircraft and weapons that will allow it to compete with the US and potentially pose a threat to other countries in the region.

Some of the new capabilities are a concern, Gates said, but he did not provide details.

"We wish that there were greater transparency, that they would talk more about what their intentions are, what their strategies are," he said. "It would be nice to hear firsthand from the Chinese how they view some of these things."

Asked if the report raised any particular concerns, Marine General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the most important thing is for the US to have the means to defeat any new military capabilities.

Without specifically naming China, he added that the US needs to "stay well out ahead of any potential adversary so that we are properly prepared, should somebody's intent change, to deal with that threat when it rises."

Last year's report said that improvements in China's long-term nuclear strategy and its precision weaponry "have the potential to pose credible threats to modern militaries operating in the region." It also said China's leaders have still not adequately explained the purposes of the military expansion.

US analysts have been surprised by the pace and scope of China's military modernization, suggesting it could be looking beyond Taiwan, last year's study said.
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