The modernization and reform of China's armed forces, challenging the United States and its allies, is one of the main defense and security issues in east and northeast Asia, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said Tuesday.
In its "Military Balance 2005-2006," the British think tank said China's increased military spending "threatens stability in the Asia-Pacific region" as well as heightening Washington's concerns over the country's capability.
(Kyodo) _ The modernization and reform of China's armed forces, challenging the United States and its allies, is one of the main defense and security issues in east and northeast Asia, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said Tuesday.
In its "Military Balance 2005-2006," the British think tank said China's increased military spending "threatens stability in the Asia-Pacific region" as well as heightening Washington's concerns over the country's capability.
The annual report said evidence suggests that China's new Ju Lang-2 long-range submarine-launched ballistic missile has an estimated range of 8,000 kilometers, allowing it to reach areas of the continental United States from China's littoral waters.
Russia is the main defense partner for China in the supply of new equipment and increasingly a regional security partner as both countries seek to extend their influence in Central Asia and to curb U.S. influence in the region, according to the report.
The Military Balance report highlights the stark contrast between China's relationship with Russia and its ties with Japan: as China and Russia get friendlier, China's relations with Japan have deteriorated further, with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the Yasukuni Shrine listed as a key factor in their deterioration.
The report also details the frosty relations of the international community with North Korea, including such acts as North Korea firing a short-range missile into the Sea of Japan on the May 1 eve of a review meeting of members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and uncertainties over six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear issue.
The report praises the work of large-scale military forces in their response to the devastating Asian tsunami disaster of Dec. 26, 2004, but says the challenges posed in particular in Iraq, Afghanistan and Chechnya demonstrate the limitations of modern conventional forces in complex environments.
"Developing the expertise of indigenous security forces to a level where they can take over security tasks from coalition forces is a priority, not least as it will enable coalition forces to begin the process of withdrawal," the report said.
It suggests that the forthcoming decision by the coalition in Iraq to hand over areas of the country to Iraqi security forces, including Samawah in southern Iraq where the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force troops are stationed, bears heavily on the decision of Japan's Diet whether to extend the mandate in December.
The report is fairly critical of the developments in Iraq, stating that despite some progress in building democratic institutions following the Jan. 30 elections, the ongoing insurgency continues to hamper reconstruction.
It says that as well as suicide bombings, kidnapping and murder are also tactics frequently used by the insurgents to destabilize Iraq.
The report says globalized communications are changing the face of contemporary conflict: today's most prominent threat being from "transnational terrorists" potentially armed with weapons of mass destruction looking to capture the attention and influence the global audience.
