CHINA:China's army, the People's Liberation Army, is growing in sophistication and technological expertise, a Pentagon report says, and the growth of the Chinese military may contribute to tension in Asia, despite Beijing's oft-repeated mantra about its "peaceful rise".
The PLA is the largest standing army in the world, with 2.3 million soldiers, 800,000 reservists and a People's Armed Police of 1.5 million.
President Hu Jintao has called for greater efforts to modernise the armed forces to ensure national security. The Chinese say they want a "revolution in military affairs with Chinese characteristics" to give them an army to reflect their growing economic importance in the region.
The focus of China's military development is on Taiwan, which mainland China has said it would attack if the self-ruled island, which Beijing views as a renegade province, formally declares independence.
The expansion of China's navy includes a growing submarine fleet and new ships suitable for the open seas, which has prompted US fears that its military could alter the balance of power in Asia.
Last week US defence secretary Robert Gates expressed concern about the increasing sophistication of China's military and called on Beijing to be more open about its intentions.
A report by the US defence department said that while Beijing remained focused on the Taiwan Strait as a potential flashpoint, it also appeared to be looking to project its growing military strength elsewhere.
"Analysis of China's military acquisitions and strategic thinking suggests Beijing is also generating capabilities for other regional contingencies, such as conflict over resources or territory," the report said.
Beijing and Washington have co-operated on military issues, notably on North Korea, but there remains a lot of distrust between the two armies. For example, new Chinese missile units could be used for crises not involving Taiwan and advances in China's air force would allow extended air operations over the South China Sea.
The reaction from Chinese state media was swift and outraged, saying the report was misleading and insulting. China insists that it needs to modernise its military to avoid falling further behind the US.
"This report continues to make outrageous comments about China's security and military strategy and its military capabilities, and attacks China's defence and military modernisation," ran an editorial in the People's Daily.
"The report ignores the facts, deliberately exaggerates the so-called Chinese military threat, and is totally unsupportable," it thundered.
At the National People's Congress in March, China said it would boost defence spending by 17.8 per cent to €33 billion this year.
But the Pentagon report cited US intelligence estimates that China's total military-related spending for 2007 could really be as high as €93 billion.
This compares to Washington's defence spend of around €360 billion, not including Iraq and Afghanistan.