Arms buildup poses real threat to peace in region, Chen says

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday that China's military buildup poses a great threat to the stability in the Taiwan Strait and security in the entire Asia-Pacific region.

If North Korea is a potential source of crisis in Northeast Asia, Chen said, Beijing's military expansion is an equally nagging menace to regional stability and security.

Chen made the remarks in a keynote speech delivered at the opening of the International Seminar on Asia-Pacific Cooperative Security, which is being co-sponsored by the Taiwan International Medical Alliance and Italy's International School on Disarmament & Research on Conflict.

Chen further said that if the world worries about North Korea's nuclear development, it should also not ignore China's fast military buildup.

"China began to develop nuclear arms more than 40 years ago. Its development of launch vehicles is even more terrifying. In addition to possessing conventional guided missiles, it is developing cruise missiles and missiles with multiple warheads. These missiles will not only threaten Taiwan but also other countries within range of the missiles," Chen warned.

The war in Iraq, North Korea's recent missile test-firing and the SARS outbreak all point to the importance of cooperation in the fight against terrorism, the development of weapons of mass destruction and epidemics, he said.