US: China's military buildup threatens stability

The Pentagon has expressed concerns that China’s military buildup and lack of transparency could pose a risk to stability in Asia, AP reported. The Defense Department report to Congress cites the Taiwan Strait as being the main short-term focus of China’s military efforts. The People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) acquisition and development of weapons to be used in space was another point of concern. "PLA writings emphasize the necessity of ‘destroying, damaging and interfering with the enemy’s reconnaissance/observation and communications satellites,’ suggesting such systems … could be used to ‘blind and deafen the enemy,’" the report said. The Bush administration was highly critical of China’s shooting down of one of its own weather satellites in January 2007.