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China's growing military power sparks US concerns

Concerns are growing in the US over China's deployment of mobile land and sea-based intercontinental ballistic nuclear missiles. The 2007 Pentagon China military power report, which has yet to be released but is expected soon, will outline how China is preparing itself for a theoretical threat from the US in the case of hostilities with Taiwan, the Financial Times reported. The concerns touch on the surprisingly rapid development of the country's military capacity. Two developments in particular, the Jin-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine's warheads with a range of more than 8,000 kilometers and the land-based DF-31A intercontinental ballistic missiles, are of particular concern since they could target the whole of the US. China has traditionally strongly protested the reports. In 2005, General Zhu Chenghu said the missiles were a protective measure and reiterated the country's "no first-use policy." The Chinese navy plans to deploy five Jin-class submarines, with one already being tested that could become operational next year, the newspaper reported.

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