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07/20/2005:

"China's Military Geared to Deterring Taiwan, Report Says"

WASHINGTON, July 19 - China is modernizing its military and emphasizing preparations "to fight and win short-duration, high-intensity conflicts" over Taiwan, the Pentagon said Tuesday with the release of its annual report on Chinese military power.

With military spending that has grown by double digit rates since the mid-1990's, China "appears focused on preventing Taiwan independence or trying to compel Taiwan to negotiate a settlement on Beijing's terms," the report said.

This political and military pressure on Taiwan may run counter to American national security interests - and to American calls for a peaceful, negotiated resolution of the Taiwan question. But China has not yet built the military power to have full confidence it can achieve its political objectives regarding Taiwan.

Beijing's conventional forces also are not deemed capable of threatening American territory, as "China's ability to project conventional military power beyond its periphery remains limited," the report stated.

At the same time, it cautioned that China was both modernizing and expanding its arsenal of nuclear missiles capable of reaching the territory of the United States.
Full: nytimes.com

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