You’d think the Pentagon would be chewing its nails down to the nub over China’s military buildup. After all, in the past few months, China unveiled its first stealth jet, reached the early operating phase of a “carrier-killer” missile, and took its first-ever aircraft carrier out for a stroll. Instead, the Defense Department’s Asia hands don’t seem any more freaked by the Chinese military than they were last year. In fact, the Pentagon’s annual report on its Chinese counterpart reads a lot like the previous edition.
Yes, Beijing is rapidly modernizing its forces, as it has for years, upping its military spending by 12.7 percent last year while the Pentagon prepares for deep cuts. Yes, China’s pursuing an “expanded regional maritime strategy and presence.” And yes, in the eyes of the Pentagon’s top Asia wonk, that modernization is “potentially destabilizing.”
Read More: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/08/chinas-new-weapons-of-doom/
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