A recent Pentagon annual report to Congress says that China is acquiring short-range missiles much faster than U.S. officials had thought and is aiming the weapons at Taiwan and possibly at U.S. forces to block their use on the island's behalf in any future conflict. The report on Beijing's military also said that preparing for a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait is the primary driver for China's military modernization.

China has about 450 short-range ballistic missiles but is expected to increase its inventory by more than 75 missiles each year. This assessment is significantly higher than last year when it was projected that China's military had acquired 350 ballistic missiles and was adding them at a rate of 50 a year.

The sophistication and accuracy of the missiles have improved, with the Chinese army developing longer-range models of the CSS-6 missile, which is capable of reaching as far as Okinawa, Japan, home to more than 33,000 U.S. troops. A senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said China may be using Okinawa "to checkmate or deter or threaten U.S. involvement" if conflict erupts in the Taiwan Strait, which separates the Chinese mainland from Taiwan.

The report also said China is spending far more on its defense budget than it has acknowledged. U.S. officials estimate the military budget, which Beijing announced as $20 billion early last year, actually falls between $45 billion and $65 billion, and the report noted a potential for annual spending to increase three or four times by 2020.

The buildup of China's military over the last several years runs counter to Beijing's stated desire for a peaceful resolution of the reunification dispute over Taiwan. Taiwan split from the mainland in 1949 after Nationalist Chinese leaders fled there following the Communist victory in China. Beijing considers Taiwan a renegade province and has threatened to retake the island by force if necessary. U.S. policy is to help Taiwan maintain a defense capability, but Washington does not favor Taiwanese independence.

The Pentagon report also highlights China's acquisition of Russian-made submarines that could be used to cut off sea access to Taiwan and threaten American forces that might respond. For the fourth year in a row, China bought $2 billion worth of weapons from Russia, at least double its annual procurement from Moscow over the previous decade.

—Source: International Herald Tribune.