China a 'peaceful force' in Beijing's response to defence paper
"China is a peaceful force that forms no threat to any other countries," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhong Xu said in answer to questions from The Australian. "(We hope) neighbour countries will view China's military build-up objectively, without bias."
Public response to the white paper in China has been subdued as Australian diplomats work behind the scenes in an attempt to quell any disquiet over the new document, which calls for a major Australian naval build-up to counter the rise of China.
The Chinese navy has almost doubled the number of secret long-distance patrols conducted by its submarines in the past year, reflecting its growing assertiveness in the region.
Australia's spy agencies noted the jump in Chinese submarine activity at the same time as military chiefs were penning the new defence white paper, released last week, which called for a doubling of the Royal Australian Navy's future submarine fleet.
In Washington yesterday, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, said the US would need to work more closely with Pacific allies such as Australia to respond to Beijing's increasing military capabilities.
He said the US and Australia would have to do more to build trust with China but he warned that Beijing needed to be more transparent about its big increases in defence spending to ensure there were no "miscalculations" in the Asia-Pacific.
Admiral Michael Mullen told a defence conference in Washington that China's build-up of sea and military air power appeared to be aimed at counterbalancing US power in the Pacific.
"They are developing capabilities that are very maritime focused, maritime and air focused, and in many ways, very much focused on us," he said.
His comments are in line with the Pentagon's strategic assessments of Beijing's growing military might and echo the Rudd Government's defence white paper released at the weekend which focused on the rise of China.
Mr Ma declined to say how China's leaders had reacted to the white paper or whether the new defence strategy would have any bearing in free trade talks.
Trade Minister Simon Crean begins his second visit in a month to China today. Mr Crean will visit the southern province of Yunnan, which has strong trade links with Australia, as well as Shanghai.
Australia's navy will continue to be dwarfed by those of China, India and Japan even if the Government achieves its white-paper plans to substantially boost naval firepower.
The white paper foreshadows the largest naval build-up since World War II with the acquisition of three air warfare destroyers, eight new powerful frigates, 12 new submarines, new naval helicopters and 20 beefed-up patrol craft by 2030.
But the navies of China and India are expanding at a much faster rate, and Australia is likely to struggle to maintain its relative strategic weight in the region.
China's naval chief, Admiral Wu Shengli, said last month his navy would "move faster in researching and building new-generation weapons to boost the ability to fight regional sea wars".
China is upgrading and expanding its fleet of 74 combat ships as well as acquiring new amphibious boats that can transport a battalion group of troops.
It is also upgrading its 60-boat submarine fleet, which includes at least two nuclear missile launching vessels, and is believed to be planning an aircraft carrier.
US naval intelligence recently reported a declassified assessment of Chinese submarine activity that found the number of long-distance Chinese submarine patrols rose to 12 last year compared with seven in 2007.
This compares with two patrols in 2006 and none in 2005, showing China's naval ambitions are rapidly expanding, although its submarine activity is still much less than the US, which has in excess of 100 patrols a year.
In November 2007, US military chiefs were caught by surprise when a Chinese submarine surfaced near the supercarrier USS Kitty Hawk in the middle of a US naval exercise.
China in March unveiled its official military budget for this year of $US70.24 billion, the latest in nearly two decades of double-digit rises in declared defence spending. Undeclared spending is believed to be substantially higher.
Despite Beijing's attempts to develop a blue-water navy that can project military power far from China's shores, Australia believes will be several decades before it could threaten US dominance in the Pacific.
India is the other Asian power building up long-range strategic naval capabilities in the region.
New Delhi plans to increase the size of its navy by more than 20 per cent by 2017 with plans to include modern aircraft carriers to replace its single, 50-year-old carrier the INS Viraat.
However, Australia's nearest large neighbour, Indonesia, has not joined the rush to expand its naval reach.
China a 'peaceful force' in Beijing's response to defence paper | The Australian
Peaceful my ass, china is one of the most aggressive countries in the world
