China’s build-up of sea and air military power funded by a strong economy appears aimed at the United States said the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“They are developing capabilities that are very maritime focused, maritime and air focused, and in many ways, very much focused on us,” Admiral Michael Mullen told a conference of the Navy League. “They seem very focused on the United States Navy and our bases that are in that part of the world.”
China in March unveiled its official military budget for 2009 of $70.24 billion, the latest in nearly two decades of double-digit rises in declared defense spending.
Mullen acknowledged that “every country in the world has got a right to develop their military as they see fit to provide for their own security.”
But he said the build-up propelled by fast economic growth required the United States and allies or partners like South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand to work together to “figure out a way to work with (China)” to avoid miscalculations.
You may remember the extraordinary help in the form of military secrets the Clinton Administration gave the Chinese in exchange for campaign contributions during his reign as tourist president. When Clinton supplied China our advanced military technology, he literally cut decades off the time it would take the Chinese to develop similar weapon systems.
Now those chickens are coming home to blow up the hen house – Thanks Bill.
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May 5, 2009 at 8:05 pm
ronin
When Bill Clinton took office China presented no threat to the United States. Few Chinese missiles could reach North America and those that made it would likely miss their targets.
Thanks to Clinton/Gore, China can now hit any city in the USA, using state-of-the-art solid-fueled missiles with multiple warheads that are deadly accurate thanks to their computerized guidance systems.
Clinton has personally done more to build China’s military strength than any man on earth.
May 6, 2009 at 7:40 am
Lord Crimson
Clinton’s goal was to level the playing field and he did so by giving away the crown jewels of our nuclear weapons research.
The truth is Clinton is a ruthless and evil man where dead bodies have a way of accumulating around him. Clinton’s Chinagate front man Ron Brown found that out just before he died in a suspicious plane crash in 1996.
China played Bill Clinton for a fool and he was glad to oblige for a price. Clinton got his money, but as of yet we don’t know what his treasonous actions will cost. If China continues towards aggression then Bill Clinton will have even more blood on his hands.
May 6, 2009 at 6:38 pm
the Grit
Hi LC,
On the other hand, without the Chinese missile threat our liberals would certainly have killed our efforts to develop a missile defense system. This same logic makes me cheer the efforts of Iran and North Korea in this area. Really, if the rest of the world thinks we’re too powerful as a nation now, just wait until they are all dependent on us to protect their cities from the nuclear bomb tipped missiles of the insane leaders of those countries. I’m thinking an annual meeting at the White House where their current leaders would publicly kiss the bare ass of our President would just be the beginning of the demands we could make.
the Grit
May 6, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Lord Crimson
In typical Washington fashion the meeting idea will be more along the lines of the current leaders demanding some kind of payment for the privilege of letting us protect them.
With all these countries getting nuclear missiles it reminds me of the movie Wargames where the only winning move is not to play.