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China¡¦s military advances challenge US
power: Gates
Reuters, TOKYO
A US military presence in the Pacific is essential to restrain Chinese
assertiveness, Washington¡¦s defense chief said yesterday, describing China¡¦s
technology advances as a challenge to US forces in the region.
US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates¡¦ comments are likely to add to tensions
over political and economic quarrels between the two superpowers just days
before Chinese President Hu Jintao (JÀAÀÜ) heads to the US for a state visit on
Wednesday.
US officials say US President Barack Obama will raise geopolitical problems such
as Iran and North Korea as well as trade issues that bedevil ties between the
world¡¦s two biggest economies.
Gates, in Japan after a visit to China earlier this week, said in a speech that
advances by China¡¦s military in cyber and anti-satellite warfare technology
could challenge the ability of US forces to operate in the Pacific.
While saying he did not see China as an ¡§inevitable strategic adversary,¡¨ Gates
stressed the importance of US military ties with Japan, where about 49,000 US
military personnel are stationed.
Without the forward presence of US troops in Japan, China ¡§might behave more
assertively towards its neighbors,¡¨ he said.
Gates cited a territorial dispute between Japan and China that flared last year,
calling it an example of why the US alliance with Japan was so important.
The warning came days after China held its first test flight of a stealth
fighter jet while Gates was in Beijing on a trip aimed at easing strained
military ties.
China also plans to develop aircraft carriers, anti-satellite missiles and other
advanced systems which have alarmed the region and the US, the dominant military
power in the Pacific.
¡§Questions about [China¡¦s] intentions and opaque military modernization program
have been a source of concern to its neighbors,¡¨ Gates told university students
in Tokyo.
¡§Questions about China¡¦s growing role in the region manifest themselves in
territorial disputes, most recently in the incident in September near the
Senkaku Islands [Diaoyutai Islands, ³¨³½¥x],¡¨ Gates said, using the Japanese name
for them.
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