The 2005 report on China's military power is out-- you can read the PDF copy here.
Or, just read the following AP summary:
WASHINGTON - China cannot be certain that its military, while steadily strengthening, is capable of conquering Taiwan, the Pentagon said Tuesday in a new report on Chinese military power and strategy.
Over the longer term, however, an increasingly modern Chinese military could pose a threat to U.S. and other forces in the Asia-Pacific region, it said.
"Some of China's military planners are surveying the strategic landscape beyond Taiwan," the report said.
Among a number of such developments, it noted improvements in Chinese intercontinental-range missiles "capable of striking targets across the globe, including the United States." Air and naval force improvements also appear to be geared for operations beyond the geography around Taiwan, it added.
Fueled by a booming economy and foreign arms purchases, China's military is developing new capabilities in line with Beijing's strategy of deterring Taiwan from declaring its independence and countering a potential U.S. military intervention, according to the 45-page report, an annual assessment required by Congress.
I spent some time perusing the report, and to close watchers of this sort of thing, there's not a lot new here, although that doesn't mean what *is* there is unimportant.
However, two charts in the report tell me so much more about China's buildup than anything else written in this report.
First, there's this chart, on page 10:
Continue reading "The Pentagon's Report On China's Military Power."
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