Defense Think Tank Frets China Space Program

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
Japan Times
March 27, 2008 By Kyodo News
China's evolving space program should be closely watched for the impact it could have on its military buildup, a Defense Ministry think tank said in a report Thursday.
"It is likely that China will continue to actively engage in space development in the years ahead, given that such development serves as a vital means of achieving military competitiveness against the United States . . . and raising national prestige," the National Institute for Defense Studies said in the report, titled "East Asian Strategic Review 2008."
"The organizations involved in China's space development program share strong ties with the People's Liberation Army and a large proportion of the satellites launched and operated by China are believed to be used for military purposes.
"Although China has consistently advocated a ban on the development of weapons in space, this (space development) may be just an attempt to put a check on the United States," it said.
China recognizes that the transfer of space technology is "an effective tool in diplomacy" to help secure natural resources and energy, the annual report says.
It also refers to a plan by China to build an aircraft carrier by 2010 as the most closely watched topic related to equipment procurement by the Chinese navy.
The plan could be delayed "depending on economic situations," given the huge sums involved in building a carrier, the report says.
It also draws attention to China's "military diplomacy" drives through mutual visits of its defense officials and port calls by its military vessels and warned that Japan may be used as a tool to advance China's propaganda.
Last August, Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan became the first in that capacity to visit Japan since 1998. In November, the missile destroyer Shenzhen became the first Chinese warship to visit since the People's Republic of China was established in 1949.
The report says, however, that the events did not lead to an increase in mutual understanding and confidence-building in ways Japan had wished, because China failed to ease Japan's concerns about its continued increased defense spending.
The report says China may be using Japan for "propaganda of its peaceful image."
The report also touches on the stalled six-nation talks over North Korea's nuclear ambitions, noting that uncertainties still remain over the process of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.
 
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