2007
~ 2000 ; 2001 ; 2002 ; 2003 ; 2004 ; 2005; 2006
[ News ] [ Papers ]
China and India Hold First
Joint Military Exercise
(Straits Times, Dec. 21, 2007) India and China will launch their first-ever
joint military exercise today in the mountain ranges of China's south-western
Yunnan province. The anti-terrorism drill, called
Hand-in-Hand 2007, involves only 100 troops from each side. But analysts said
it is not the scale but the scope for potential cooperation between the Asian
giants in combating international terrorism that is significant.
China's Hu in Control of
Rapidly Modernizing Military
(Agence France Presse,
Oct. 20, 2007) After five years in power, President Hu Jintao has finally gained unquestioned control of China's massive military while
transforming it into wealthy, high-tech fighting force, analysts said.
Chinese Warships Arrive in Sydney
(AFP, Sep. 29, 2007) Two Chinese warships arrived in Sydney
ahead of the first joint military exercises between Australia and the Asian nation,
with officials saying more operations were planned. Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said next week's joint
exercises involving the Australian, Chinese and New
Zealand navies signaled closer military cooperation
between Beijing and Canberra.
China Replaces Air Force Chief
(AP, Sep. 26, 2007) China has replaced the head of its air force and other top military
chiefs ahead of a major Communist Party congress next month at which President Hu
Jintao is expected to fill several top posts
with younger leaders loyal to his rule. Lt. Gen. Xu
Qiliang, a former deputy chief of the People's Liberation Army's
general staff, has taken over from Gen. Qiao Qingchen as head of the PLA Air Force.
PLA Names New Chief of
General Staff
(AP, Sep. 25, 2007) China
has named as new chief of general staff for its military. General Chen Bingde's promotion as the People's Liberation Army's
(PLA) head of day-to-day operations came in the past six weeks - in a
transfer that was unusually quiet even for an institution as secretive as
China's military.
China to Build New Satellite
Launch Site
(AP, Sep. 24, 2007) China is planning
to build a new satellite launch site — the country's fourth — to boost its
burgeoning space program. The facility will be located in Wenchang
on the southern island province
of Hainan.
China Says Suffers
"Massive" Internet Spy Damage
(Reuters,
Sep. 12, 2007)
China has suffered "massive" losses of state and military
secrets through the Internet, a senior official said, urging sweeping
controls and new security agencies to fight computer threats and uncensored
news. Vice Minister of
Information Industry Lou Qinjian's claims come as
China faces reports that it has raided the computer networks of Western
powers.
France Latest to Accuse
Chinese of Hacking
(AP, Sep. 11, 2007) Government computers in France
have been the target of hackers linked to China,
claims a top French official, following allegations that they have also
infiltrated systems in Germany,
Britain and the United States.
China to Give Data to U.N.
On Its Military Spending
(New York Times, Sep. 3, 2007) China said that it would submit information about its military spending
and weapons trading to the United Nations, in what appears to be an effort to
calm fears about its secretive and rapidly expanding armed forces.
Russia, China Flex Muscles
in Joint War Games
(Reuters, Aug. 18, 2007) Russia and China
staged their biggest joint exercises but denied this show of military prowess
could lead to the formation of a counterweight to NATO. The
war games were staged under the flag of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a regional grouping that includes Russia, China and four Central Asian
states.
China Exudes Military
Confidence on PLA Anniversary
(Reuters, Aug. 2, 2007) China called its growing military strength a force
for peace and Communist Party rule on the 80th anniversary of the People's Liberation
Army, even as a senior commander warned Taiwan against risking war.
China Military Getting
Trendier Uniforms
(AP, July 3, 2007) China is rolling out sleeker uniforms for its 2.3
million-member military, prompted by a bigger budget and growing involvement
in U.N. peacekeeping, state media said.
China Military Commander
Advocates Offensive Strength
(Reuters, June 13, 2007) A senior Chinese defense strategist has said his
nation needs to build offensive strength and an "effective nuclear
force" but has no intention of renouncing its no-first-use nuclear
doctrine.
China Says U.S. Report on
Its Military Exaggerated
(Reuters, May 28, 2007) China
hit back at a Pentagon report on its rising military might on Monday, saying
it was exaggerated and an interference in Chinese domestic affairs. ''The
Pentagon report exaggerates China's
military strength and expenditure with ulterior motives,'' the Foreign
Ministry said.
Chinese Media Blast Pentagon
Report
(Reuters, May 27, 2007) Chinese state media blasted a Pentagon report on Beijing's defense plans as misleading and insulting, and
said China had to pursue
military modernization to avoid falling further behind the United States.
U.S.: China Lacks Power for
Taiwan Fight
(AP, May 27, 2007) The Pentagon is warning China
in blunt language that despite Beijing's
massive military buildup, it lacks the power for a successful attack against
rival Taiwan.
The annual report on China's
military is likely to add to rising tension between Washington
and Beijing.
Pentagon Warns That China Is
Adding Missiles and Building Capacity to Fight Abroad (Washington Post, May
26, 2007) The Pentagon said China's short-term focus remains
the Taiwan Straits, where the nation continues to position more short-range
ballistic missiles. By October, China
had increased its force of mobile short-range missiles based in garrisons
opposite Taiwan
to 900, the report said.
Latest Chinese Missile to
Target US Carriers: Report
(AFP, May 16, 2007) China
plans to equip its upcoming missiles with infrared technology to give them
the ability to hit US warships in Asia, a
Japanese newspaper said. The upgrade is part of preparations for a potential
conflict over Taiwan.
China Wants Brightest People for Army
(AFP, May 1, 2007) Recruiting high-calibre people
is key to a new technology driven training plan adopted by China's military
as it seeks to cope with the challenges of the future, state media said.
China Boosts Military
Spending
(WP, Mar. 5, 2007) China announced that it will increase military spending at
a sharply higher rate this year, budgeting a rise of nearly 18 percent, and a
senior U.S. official immediately called for clarity on the planned
expenditures.
China Rejects U.S. Criticism
of Military Build-Up
(Reuters, Feb. 27, 2007) China
dismissed U.S.
criticism of its military build-up, saying the world's most populous country
was an important force for world peace.
China Seeks Talks on Space
Weapons Treaty
(AFP, Feb. 14, 2007) China called for talks on a space weapons treaty, a day
after its defense minister reportedly said the country had no plans for a
repeat of last month's test of an anti-satellite weapon.
China Says No More
Satellite-Killer Tests
(AFP, Feb., 2007) China
does not plan another anti-satellite test, its defence
minister was quoted as saying, a month after Beijing became the third country to shoot
down an object in space.
China Calls for Space Treaty
(AP, Feb. 2, 2007) China
said it is ready to work with other countries on an agreement to prevent an
arms race in space amid an international uproar over its firing of an
anti-satellite missile.
China Confirms Space Test;
Denies Intent to Intimidate
(NYT, Jan. 24, 2007) The Chinese government publicly confirmed that it had
conducted a successful test of a new anti-satellite weapon but said it had no
intention of participating in a “space race.”
MND Concerned over Satellite
Blast
(China Post, Jan. 24, 2007) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) expressed
concern over China's shooting
down of a satellite two weeks ago, raising the possibility that Taiwan's
archrival will be able to destroy Taiwan-friendly satellites in the event of
an attack on the island.
China Tells US Not to Worry
about Anti-Satellite Test
(AFP, Jan. 23, 2007) China
has told Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill that a recent test of
a Chinese satellite killer missile did not signal a threat to other countries
or a bid to militarize space, the State Department said.
U.S. Officials Try to
Interpret China’s Silence Over Satellite
(NYT, Jan. 22, 2007) Bush administration officials said that they had been
unable to get even the most basic diplomatic response from China after their detection of a
successful test to destroy a satellite 10 days ago.
China Deploys Advanced
Fighters
(Taipei Times, Jan. 22, 2007) The Chinese-language daily China Times
yesterday cited a military source
as saying that 12 J-10 jets had been deployed at an air force base around 500km from Taiwan.
World Leaders Press China
to Explain Anti-Satellite Test
(Reuters, Jan. 20, 2007) China's
anti-satellite weapons test has raised concerns in Asia and the US about the rising militarisation
of space and prompted governments to demand explanations, while China
has played down fears.
China Criticized for
Anti-Satellite Missile Test
(WP, Jan. 19, 2007) The Chinese military used a ground-based missile to hit
and destroy one of its aging satellites orbiting more than 500 miles in space
last week -- a high-stakes test demonstrating China's ability to target
regions of space that are home to U.S. spy satellites and space-based missile
defense systems.
Chinese Military Sets New Rules to Fight Graft
(Straits Times, Jan. 17, 2007) China will keep a closer watch on
its military personnel as part of a sweeping campaign against corruption. New
auditing regulations make officers more accountable in use of funds.
China Unveils New Fighter Jet
Amid Fanfare
(Straits Times, Jan. 5, 2007) China has unveiled its most advanced fighter
jet, the Jian-10, with a wave of unprecedented media publicity - a sign that
Beijing could be targeting the export market soon.
China Reshuffles Military
But No Hint of Succession By Benjamin Kang Lim (Reuters, Oct. 22, 2007) China
reshuffled its top military body, reappointing President Hu
Jintao as chairman but elevating no other civilian
-- a sign that the country's leadership succession remains up in the air.
People's Liberation Army generals Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou were reappointed vice-chairmen of the powerful
commission.
China Promotes Military
Officers Experienced in Taiwan Affairs By David Lague (International Herald
Tribune, Oct. 9, 2007) China has promoted senior military officers with
experience in planning for war over Taiwan ahead of a key political meeting
next week at which the Communist Party has said it will adopt a new strategy
to stop the self-governing island moving toward independence.
US Official Notes China's
Military Gains
(Associated Press, Sep. 30, 2007) While the U.S. has been tied up in Iraq, China is modernizing its military and its air
defenses are now nearly impenetrable to all but the newest of American
fighters, the senior U.S. military official in Japan said.
China and India Leading
Asian Missile Buildup
(International
Herald Tribune, Sep. 19, 2007) Two
decades after developed nations agreed to halt the proliferation of strategic
missile technology, China and India are leading the most significant
modernization of nuclear-capable ballistic missile and cruise missile forces
in Asia since the Cold War.
China Emerges as Leader in
Cyberwarfare
(Christian
Science Monitor, Sep. 14, 2007) A central aim of the Chinese hackers may not have been top
secrets, but a probe of the Pentagon network structure itself. The NIPRNet
(Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network) is crucial in the quick
deployment of US forces should China
attack Taiwan.
By crippling a Pentagon Net used to call US forces, China
gains crucial hours and minutes in a lightning attack designed to force a Taiwan
surrender, experts say.
Hacking Reports Raise
Concerns about Cyberthreat from China
(International Herald Tribune, Sep. 6, 2007) Reports that Chinese military
hackers have attacked the computer systems of Western governments have
renewed uncertainty about the control China's civilian leaders exert
over the country's increasingly powerful armed forces, defense experts say..
The PLA's New Talent Strategy By Li Mingjiang
(Straits Times, Aug. 22, 2007) The PLA is accelerating its new military
revolution program. In addition to introducing various hard weapons systems,
the Chinese military is also paying unprecedented amount of attention to
human talent.
Hu Jintao
Defends China's Military Build-Up
(Straits Times, Aug. 2, 2007) China will 'gradually increase' its defense
spending and accelerate the upgrading of its weaponry, President Hu Jintao said. Warning that
the world was 'not at all peaceful', he said China needed a powerful military
that could meet the country's growing security and developmental needs.
A Mystery in Beijing: Who
Runs the Military? By David Lague
(International Herald Tribune, June 22, 2007) As China converts its growing
economic power into military muscle, a lack of transparency and a habit of
secrecy pose formidable challenges in assessing the country's long-term
ambitions, according to defense experts. For foreign governments and
analysts monitoring the Chinese military, one of the biggest mysteries is who
is actually in charge.
The Power China Is Building By
Gary Schmitt
(Washington
Post, June 14, 2007) Greater
transparency by the Chinese would be helpful. But absent a significant shift
toward political liberalization in China, there's no reason to
expect that to happen. And anyway, after a
decade and a half of military buildup, do we really need greater transparency
to understand what China
is up to?
China Appears to Confront
U.S. Defense of Taiwan By David Lague
(International
Herald Tribune, June 10, 2007) An increasingly wealthy China is now building a military force
tailored specifically to challenge any attempt by the United States to intervene in a conflict over Taiwan,
Western and Chinese military analysts say.
Military Power of the
People’s Republic of China, 2007
(Department of Defense, U.S.A.) China’s near-term focus on preparing for
military contingencies in the Taiwan Strait, including the possibility of U.S.
intervention, appears to be an important driver of its modernization plans.. However, analysis of China’s
military acquisitions and strategic thinking suggests Beijing is also generating capabilities of
other regional contingencies, such as conflict over resources or territory..
Chinese General Says
Military Build-Up Purely Defensive
(AFP, June 2, 2007) "Strategically, we adhere to self-defense and would
win only by striking after the enemy has struck," Lieutenant General
Zhang Qinsheng, deputy chief of the general staff
of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), told an international defense forum in
Singapore.
The China Threat
(Wall Street Journal, May 31, 2007) China is a black box by
comparison. Precisely how it envisions using its modernized military is a
matter of guesswork, albeit of the educated variety. China could help defuse such
anxieties by lifting the veil on more of its military policy making. Doing so
is a responsibility of any modern great power.
Pentagon Asks Right Questions Knowing It Will Get No Answers
(Straits Times, May 29, 2007) Will China execute pre-emptive strikes and
abandon its vow not to use nuclear weapons first in times of crisis? These
were the two difficult questions raised by the US
in its 2007 report on China's
military capabilities - the first time Washington
has raised the topic in such a manner.
China and the Aircraft
Carrier It Doesn't Have By Richard Halloran
(Taipei Times, May 28, 2007) Fresh from a visit to China, the new commander of US
military forces in the Pacific said he found Chinese military leaders
intensely interested in acquiring aircraft carriers. The admiral said all the
Chinese leaders with whom he spoke during a five day stay earlier this month
indicated their inclination to pursue the development of aircraft carriers.
Arms Balance Tilting in
PRC's Favor: US
(Taipei Times, May 27, 2007) The military balance in the Taiwan Strait
continues to tilt in China's favor, with the pace of its missile deployment
opposite Taiwan accelerating and an intensive effort by China that aims to
prevent the US from coming to Taiwan's aid in the case of a Chinese attack,
the Pentagon said.
Pentagon Tracks Global
Buildup in China's Military By
Bill Gertz
(Washington Times, May 26, 2007) China's
military buildup is moving beyond countering Taiwan
to global operations from the Middle East through Southeast
Asia, according to the Pentagon's annual assessment of Chinese
military power.
'Mistake to Overestimate China's
Military'
(Straits Times, May 25, 2007) The United States and the rest of the world
should not overestimate China's
military might. If they continue to do so, they will be playing the wrong
game, China studies
professor David Lampton of Johns
Hopkins University's
School of Advanced International Studies.
Group Sees China Military
Rise as a Threat
(Associated Press, May 19, 2007) The growing power of China's military poses
a fundamental challenge to existing order in East Asia, the Rand Corp. said
Thursday in proposing wide-ranging changes in strategy for U.S. forces around
the world.
China’s Bid for Asian
Hegemony By Hugo Restall
(Far Eastern Economic Review, May 2007) China’s
increased military spending is one part of Beijing’s
efforts to sideline the U.S.
and Japan, and become the
preeminent power of Asia. At the same time, Beijing has discovered
the virtues of using a range of other enticements to increase its standing
within the region.
Is There a Plan Behind
China's Subs? By Richard
Halloran
(Taipei Times, May 02, 2007) A US military intelligence officer, asked some
years ago how far the Chinese could project their military power, only
half-jokingly answered : "About as far as their army can walk."
That is changing rapidly today as Beijing
fuels the budgets of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
China's Military Put in the
Spotlight
(Associated Press, Mar. 12, 2007) Anyone seeking a reminder of the People's
Liberation Army's influence on Chinese politics need only look at the swaths
of green-and-blue uniforms amid the sea of delegates to the national
legislature.
China's Message: Military
Modernization Inevitable
(Straits Times, Mar. 7, 2007) In purely monetary terms, the Chinese defense
budget is not bigger than that of Britain
or Japan,
countries with far smaller populations or territory. But, as always with
statistics, the devil is in the detail. All countries hide some elements of
their defense expenditure in the budgets of other ministries or agencies.
China's Growing Military
Keeps Wary Eye on Taiwan
(Reuters, Mar. 1, 2007) When Huang Xu was a young
soldier in an artillery unit on the Chinese coast in the late 1980s, war with
Taiwan always seemed imminent. "We were on alert level one every day,
and drilling for Taiwan
(contingencies) all the time," said the driver.
China's Army Told to Call Public
Tender for Projects
(Straits Times, Feb. 28, 2007) Chinese President Hu
Jintao has fired another salvo against military
profiteering and corruption, ordering army officers to buy non-essential
supplies and services on the open market.
China Builds a Superpower
Fighter
By
David Lague
(International Herald Tribune, Feb. 8, 2006) For more than two decades, China
has labored to build its first state-of-the-art jet fighter as part of the
country's drive to become a leading military power. In December, it appeared
to have closed in on that ambition when it revealed that its new fighter, the
J-10, had entered service in the air force.
Missile Test Making the
World Sit Up and Watch By Philip Yang
(Taipei Times, Jan 27, 2007) There are two objectives behind the missile
test: Manifest China's dissatisfaction with the US'
dominance of space arms development and its wish to deter the US-Japanese
military alliance from intervening in a conflict in the Taiwan
Strait.
A New Arms Race in Space?
(The Economist, Jan. 25, 2007) If there is to be a new arms race in space, China
will be in it. America
is still more powerful in space. China has shown what damage it
can do. Their competition won't end there. But there are surely better ways
to manage it.
Sat Wars? Can U.S.
and China
Avoid Space Arms Race?
(Newsweek, Jan. 25, 2007) China’s
recent ASAT tests may have been a deterrent signal, planting seeds of doubt
about the assumption of U.S.
supremacy in space. Many American defense experts say China’s recent test calls for the
start of a realistic international dialogue in hopes of avoiding a new arms
race, this time in the heavens.
China's Missile Message By Elizabeth Economy
(Washington Post, Jan. 25, 2007) The missile strike also underscores perhaps
the greatest challenge of China's
rise as a global power: The lack of transparency, official accountability and
rule of law that defines China
on the domestic front plays poorly on the international stage.
China Weapons Test Shakes Up
World View
(Associated Press, Jan. 23, 2007) China has sent men into orbit and
launched dozens of satellites, but its test of a satellite-killing weapon is
shaking up perceptions about where the Chinese space program is headed.
China Experts See Space
Blast as Puzzle and Warning
(Reuters, Jan. 22, 2007) Blasting a satellite out of the heavens may have
been China's blunt way of
demanding a bigger say in space security, Chinese experts said on Monday,
while voicing puzzlement about the apparent test and Beijing's long silence.
China Takes the Arms Race
into Space
(Straits Times, Jan. 22, 2007) China never sought to match the Americans
weapon-for-weapon but, rather, to develop 'killer' technologies which can
wipe out US technological advantages. The Chinese space programme
fits perfectly into such strategy.
Taiwan Worries about US Ability to
Come to Its Rescue
(Straits Times, Jan. 22, 2007) China's
growing anti-satellite capability could hamper US
ability to come to Taiwan's
rescue in the event of a cross-strait military conflict. 'China's latest move will have an indirect
impact on Taiwan's
security,' said military expert Lin Chong-pin.
China Shows Power with 'Star
Wars' Test
(Agence France Presse,
Jan. 21, 2007) China's apparently successful destruction of a satellite in
space shows its determination to be a global power and is set to leave
lasting jitters in the United States and Asia, analysts say.
U.S. Dominance in Space
Challenged by China’s Test By Joseph Kahn (New
York Times, Jan. 19, 2007) China’s
apparent success in destroying one of its own orbiting satellites with a
ballistic missile signals that it intends to contest American military
supremacy in space, a realm many here consider increasingly crucial to
national security.
China's Defense Policy Is
Evolving By Chong-Pin Lin
(Taipei Times, Jan. 16, 2007) In December last year, Beijing unveiled its
biennial defense white paper entitled China's National Defense in 2006, the
fifth since it began issuing them in 1998. The 2006 white paper carries
greater diplomatic than military significance. It transcends both the
military dimension and Taiwan Strait
concerns.
Fighter Jet Signals China's
Military Advances
(Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 11, 2007) A sleek, swept-wing fighter-bomber
dubbed the "Jian-10," unveiled here last week, is more than just
another jet plane. It is China's
calling card, announcing Beijing's
arrival among the top ranks of military manufacturers.
Why China Wants a
Bigger Navy
(Economist, Jan. 4, 2007) Among the “security challenges” that China does spell out is Taiwan's “radical policy” of pursuing formal
independence from China,
which it says threatens stability across the Asia-Pacific region.
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