Tuesday, November 3, 2009

US Admiral concerned about Chinese military buildup

US Admiral Donegan has expressed concern over the rapid rate of China's military buildup. Officially, China has boosted military spending in 2009 by 15%, for a total of $71 billion, but most critics argue that the real figures are much higher.

China's short term strategic military goals is to build a military force powerful enough to overwhelm the defense of Taiwan before US forces can activated to protect Taiwan. AP

HONG KONG — A U.S. Navy admiral expressed new concern Friday over China's military buildup and urged Beijing to be clearer about its intentions.[...]

Donegan referred to China's expanded weaponry. His remarks echoed the concerns of other U.S. military leaders who have said the growth in China's military spending — up almost 15 percent in the 2009 budget — raises questions about how Beijing plans on deploying its new power.[...]

China has boosted military spending by more than 10 percent annually for almost two decades, and the official figure of $71 billion this year is thought by many analysts to represent only a portion of total defense spending.

No comments: