REUTERS , WASHINGTON
Jun 16, 2004
The US would face an increasingly lethal Chinese army modernized by Washington's friends and allies if it had to defend Taiwan in a war with Beijing, a US study released yesterday said.
Russia's arms exports to China are more sophisticated than ever, and Israel -- recipient of some of the US' most advanced technology -- has an increasingly worrisome defense relationship with Beijing, the report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission said.
Moreover, if the EU lifts its arms embargo on China as some members want, that could "dramatically enhance China's military capability," the report added.
Echoing a recent Pentagon study, the commission said China's military capabilities "increasingly appear to be shaped to fit a Taiwan conflict scenario and to target US air and naval forces that could become involved."
The commission expressed concern that political attitudes across the Taiwan Strait had "hardened" and recommended the US take a fresh look at its "one China" policy.
The commission, created by the US Congress in 2000, said a key to China's modernization had been "extensive" acquisitions of foreign military technologies, with Russia as the top supplier and Israel as No. 2.
Compared with the early 1990s, recent Russian arms exports showed an "alarming increase in lethality and sophistication," the report said.
As for Israel, Commission Vice Chairman Dick D'Amato said that while Washington had made "strenuous" efforts to restrain it from selling to China, "there's still not the level of cooperation and assurance that has relieved our concerns. We're very worried about this relationship."
Israel receives US$3 billion in US aid annually, including advanced technology. Criticism of Israel is sensitive in the US, its leading ally.
The report said Israel last year assured Washington it would not sell items to China that could harm US security.
But the commission "understands that Israel has offered training facilities, including one for urban warfare, to train China's security forces for the Olympics."
In the past year, "reports indicate Israeli firms have discussed a range of projects with China, including export of sensor and observation systems, security fences, microwave and optics, training, metal detectors and packages for airport and vital facilities security," the commission said.
Israel also provided China with HARPY unmanned aerial vehicles, radar systems, optical and telecommunications equipment, drones and flight simulators.
The commission recommended the government restrict foreign defense contractors that sell sensitive military technology or weapons systems to China from participating in US defense-related cooperative research.
