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U.S. officials wary of Chinese military buildup

In what could be a foreshadowing of the Quadrennial Defense Review’s recommendations about U.S. security policy for Asia, senior defense officials said uncertainty about China’s intentions requires continued vigilance and high levels of readiness in Asia-based or deployed forces.

“We remain troubled by China’s continued lack of openness and transparency in military affairs,” said Wallace Gregson, assistant defense secretary for Asian and Pacific security affairs, in Wednesday testimony before the House Armed Services Committee. “China’s neighbors have voiced similar concerns.”

Adm. Robert Willard, chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, supported that view. “China’s interest in a peaceful and stable environment that will support the country’s developmental goals is difficult to reconcile with new military capabilities that appear designed to challenge U.S. freedom of activity in the region and, if necessary, enforce China’s influence over its neighbors, including our regional allies and partners,” Willard said.

He said China’s leaders have claimed that their double-digit increases in military spending and dramatic increases in capabilities, especially in terms of the ability to engage in intense, short-term conflicts, are defensive in nature and contribute to regional stability. But that stance appears “incompatible with the extent of sophisticated weaponry China produces today,” Willard said.

Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., the armed services committee chairman, agreed that China’s “transparency on defense matters is still limited” and that “questions remain regarding China’s strategic intentions.”

“China is not necessarily destined to be a threat to the United States, but there are trends and ambiguities that concern us,” Skelton said.

The committee’s ranking Republican, Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon of California, said China’s unannounced test of its missile defense system on Monday is an example of his concerns about what he called the “umbrella of uncertainty” surrounding China’s future.

McKeon said he would closely monitor the final Quadrennial Defense Review, due out in early February, to ensure that China remains a priority for U.S. strategic planners.

“My fear is that we will downgrade the China threat in an attempt to justify last year’s and future cuts to key defense programs,” he said, adding that such cuts in capabilities “will only invite China to seek strategic parity with the United States.”