Pentagon Assessment Shows Chinese Military Power Continues To Expand

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
CNN
March 3, 2008 CNN Newsroom, 3:00 PM
DON LEMON: A red flag from the Pentagon today about the growing power of China. In a blunt assessment, the Defense Department says Beijing is expanding its military and refusing to tell the world why.
With the story from us -- live from the Pentagon is our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, every spring, the Pentagon in required by Congress to deliver a report on China's military power. And every time, they deliver a report that says China is increasing its military strength and improving its high- tech capabilities.
Let's look first at what the Pentagon says China is spending, their official budget $45 billion. That's up 17.8 percent, almost 18 percent, from last year. But, the big problem, the Pentagon says, is, China doesn't tell everything it's spending. If you add up the secret military budget, it's about three times that amount, $139 billion.
So, what are they buying for all that money? Well, they are buying more ballistic and cruise missile systems, more submarines, to have the ability to operate underwater -- this is a big one -- anti- satellite weapons. You remember the Pentagon complained bitterly last year when China shot down one of its aging weather satellites. Now they are saying that China is spending a lot of money on anti- satellite weapon and cyber-warfare.
And, again, remember, the Pentagon has complained that they have had cyber-attacks from Chinese hackers in the past. Cyber-warfare is a big part of China's budget. What does it all add up to?
China is developing a more high-tech military that is able to fight short wars of intense duration. But they are not forgetting about Taiwan. The report also notes that the number of missiles stationed across the Taiwan Strait from Taiwan gone up from about 900 last year to somewhere close to 1,000, maybe 1,100, this year.
So, again, an increase in those missiles because China wants to continue to make sure that Taiwan doesn't get any ideas that it can declare complete independence. That's the picture from the Pentagon of Chinese military power, once again, growing and China spending beyond its gross national product on defense -- Don.
LEMON: All right, Jamie, thank you.
 
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