The US is increasingly growing uneasy with China's military buildup, with the Pentagon positioning it as one of the worst threats together with international terrorism in an annual assessment, the Sankei Shimbun reported yesterday.
In a report datelined Washington, the Japanese daily said that in its annual assessment of China's military capabilities that will be published soon, the Pentagon lists China's fast military expansion and international terrorist attacks as being on the same level under "worst threats."
According to the report, the Pentagon made the assessment based on the following arguments: China increased the number of short-range missiles aimed at Taiwan in the Nanjing military region, purchased more advanced jet fighters from Russia, deployed a larger number of fast-response troops to deal with contingencies in the Taiwan Strait, and stepped up military drills to counter US military planes and ballistic missiles.
China's military capabilities are expanding at a rate that exceeds the tolerance of the US, the report said, adding that US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told a group of US reporters last Wednesday that it was imperative to pay close attention to the military buildup.
Rumsfeld said that the Pentagon's annual assessment of China's capabilities showed that China was spending more than its leaders acknowledge, expanding its missile capabilities and developing advanced military technology.
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