PLA spending `threatening' Taiwan

China's sharp increase in military spending this year will tilt the balance against Taiwan, a Ministry of National Defense official said yesterday.

"We estimate that [China's] actual military spending is at least two to three times more than the figures made public," said Colonel Gong Chen-hua (龔建華), deputy director of the ministry's Intelligence Department.

Gong said it was no secret that China was constantly upgrading its military. He said the ministry estimated that the Chinese government had spent at least US$170 billion this year, rather than the US$59 billion reported by Beijing.

Gong said China was targeting Taiwan in the short term.

China's military buildup "is seriously affecting the military balance in the region," he said. "It is also threatening the security of major countries around the world."

Gong's comments were in keeping with the findings of the Pentagon's recently released annual report on China's military, which stated that the cross-strait balance continues to tilt in Beijing's favor.

Mark Stokes, the US defense secretary's country director for China under the Clinton and Bush administrations, told Defense News magazine recently that the pace and extent of China's military modernization raised doubts about Beijing's intentions in regard to Taiwan.

In related news, the ministry rebutted a rumor that the pilot of the F-16A Falcon that went missing last week had defected and landed at an unidentified airport in China.

"I must assure you that the plane is `missing.' The pilot did not defect,'" said Colonel Lisa Chi (池玉蘭), a ministry spokeswoman. "This kind of rumor seriously affects the morale of air force servicemen and women, as well as the missing pilot's family. It is not fair on them."

Chi said the military's search for the jet and its pilot, which have been missing for a week, was ongoing. At press time, no breakthroughs had been reported.

Additional reporting by AP and staff writer

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