Is the US missile shield "suffocating" China?
The US plan to build a modern missile defense line in Asia is directly aimed at dealing with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and not at China, China Daily quoted the US State Department on August 25.
However, many military experts in both the US and China are skeptical about the true intentions of the
They believe that with Pyongyang's limited military capabilities, the US does not need to spend a huge amount of money to build such a sophisticated missile shield system, unless the opponent is China.
The Chinese military has also called on the US government to handle issues related to missile defense lines carefully, to avoid allowing one country's national security to become another country's "top threat."
Images of some Chinese missiles
The front page of the Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon is about to install another X-Band early warning radar system in southern Japan after deploying the first system in the north of the country in 2006.
The US military is also said to be building bases in South Asia to serve the operation of the X-Band radar system with the aim of creating an arc-shaped shield that would allow the US and its allies in the region to “effectively intercept any missile launched from North Korea or China”.
US defense officials say the Philippines, a country locked in a territorial conflict with China, would be a potential site for a third early warning system in Asia, after Japan.
On August 24, in a meeting with his counterpart Shigeru Iwasaki from Tokyo, Mr. Martin Dempsey - head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff affirmed that the US and Japan are actively discussing issues related to the missile shield project because "this is important to both countries".
A security expert from the Brookings Institution (USA) named Jonathan Pollack also commented that the second radar system to be installed in Japan will be able to operate very well with the function of "preventing tense relations in the East Asia region".
“Therefore, intensifying discussions with China to reach consensus on this plan will be a key point, putting a lot of pressure on the two candidates for the next US presidential term - Brack Obama and Senator Mitt Romney,” according to Jonathan Pollack.
China is not happy with the US missile shield, said Li Qinggong, deputy director of the National Security Policy Research Commission of China: "Early warning radar system is a key part of the missile defense system. It can identify the type, flight trajectory and intercept the missile from a very long distance.
With such a modern and expensive system, it would be a waste if it were only to deal with Pyongyang. Instead, it makes more sense for Chinese missiles to be the main target of this system.”
Early warning radar systems are central to US missile defense plans in Asia.
“It (missile shield system) was set up to prevent threats from North Korea and has been
We also have regular discussions with China about this issue, about what we are doing in Asia and why we are doing it… in an open and transparent manner,” said Ms. Nuland, a spokeswoman for the US State Department, at a press briefing in Washington.
Earlier this week, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese People's Army Cai Yingding visited the United States following the visit of Defense Minister Liang Guanglie in May 2012.
However, the press did not report whether the missile shield issue was mentioned by Mr. Sai and Mr. Luong at the meeting.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal on August 24, the Chinese Defense Minister affirmed: “China hopes that issues related to the missile defense system will be resolved cautiously on the basis of respecting the goal of global strategic peace as well as promoting mutual trust among countries around the world.
We (China) believe that all parties need to strictly abide by international rules and respect each other's national security so that every successful effort will bring mutual benefits."
Beijing had voiced opposition to the US deployment of the first X-Band warning system in Japan in 2006 because of concerns that the system was aimed at China's security.
Meanwhile, in Europe and the Middle East, Washington's joint defense line project is also facing "blunt rejection" from Russia because it has not yet provided a reliable basis for the real goals of these systems.
According to VTC-M
