This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7965084.stm
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| China fury at US military report | China fury at US military report |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Beijing has reacted angrily to a Pentagon report on China's military power, which claimed it was altering the military balance in Asia. | Beijing has reacted angrily to a Pentagon report on China's military power, which claimed it was altering the military balance in Asia. |
| Foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang called it a "gross distortion of the facts", the AFP news agency reports. | Foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang called it a "gross distortion of the facts", the AFP news agency reports. |
| In its annual report to Congress, the Pentagon said China was developing "disruptive" technologies for nuclear, space and cyber warfare. | In its annual report to Congress, the Pentagon said China was developing "disruptive" technologies for nuclear, space and cyber warfare. |
| It could be used to enforce claims over disputed territories, the report said. | It could be used to enforce claims over disputed territories, the report said. |
| The development of longer-range capabilities also has implications for beyond the region, it added. | The development of longer-range capabilities also has implications for beyond the region, it added. |
| "This report issued by the US side continues to play up the fallacy of China's military threat," Mr Qin told journalists. | "This report issued by the US side continues to play up the fallacy of China's military threat," Mr Qin told journalists. |
| He said China "resolutely" opposes the report, and urged the US to stop issuing it to "avoid further damage to the two sides' military relations". | He said China "resolutely" opposes the report, and urged the US to stop issuing it to "avoid further damage to the two sides' military relations". |
| Projecting power? | |
| The Pentagon reported that China was successfully managing to expand its arsenal of sophisticated weaponry, even though Beijing's ability to sustain military power at a distance remains limited. | |
| Chinese "armed forces continue to develop and field disruptive military technologies", including "nuclear, space, and cyber warfare". | |
| Much uncertainty surrounds China's future course, particularly regarding how its expanding military power might be used Pentagon report | |
| Some of these developments help China to participate in international peacekeeping, humanitarian and counter-piracy missions, the report acknowledged. | |
| But they could also allow China to "project power to ensure access to resources or enforce claims to disputed territories," it said. | |
| The Pentagon analysis said China was developing weapons that would disable its enemies' space technology such as satellites, boosting its electromagnetic warfare and cyber-warfare capabilities and continuing to modernise its nuclear arsenal. | |
| It again criticised Beijing for a lack of transparency in reporting military spending and security policy. | |
| And while the report also welcomed the rise of a peaceful, stable and prosperous China, it added: "Much uncertainty surrounds China's future course, particularly regarding how its expanding military power might be used." | |
| The report estimated China's military spending in 2008 was roughly double that of a decade ago. | |
| Beijing insists its increased military spending is purely for defensive purposes and is still small in comparison with that of the US. | |
| China has repeatedly said that the Pentagon's annual report on its military power unfairly portrays China as a military threat when it is committed to a "peaceful rise" as its economic power grows. | |
| China's armed forces are undoubtedly undergoing a dramatic transformation from a poorly-equipped peasant army to an increasingly sophisticated modern military, the BBC's defence and security correspondent Rob Watson says. | |
| But its actual war fighting capability is still in doubt, he adds. |