Fearful of Chinese intervention in Taiwan, the Pentagon has released a report that states that China has closed ‘key gaps’ in its military technology. According to the US government’s annual report on China’s defensive capabilities, China will have a fully modernised military by 2020. China, on the other hand, has dismissed the report, calling it “cock and bull”.

The stability of Asia – Pacific region hangs in a gentle balance. The world at large, and especially the US, have known for a long time that China has ambitions of expansion, and any military manoeuvrings in that region give cause for concern. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for East Asia Michael Schiffer is of the opinion that the scale and speed of China’s military growth was such that it could potentially lead to the destabilisation of the region by contributing to the regional tensions that already exist.

Taiwan fear that China will try and reclaim their sovereignty. If that happens Japan also fear that China will enter their waters. With this in mind the report calls for a stronger tie between the US and Chinese military. This is a tricky position for the US government to negotiate because the American’s have long been for Taiwanese Independence. In fact, in 2010, Beijing cut military ties with the US because the US had given arms to Taiwan.

China declares that the US have grossly exaggerated its military capability and its designs on expansion. State run TV in China pointed out that America spend more than any other country in the world on its military defenses and stated that China too has the right to a competent and modernised army.