China, US Exchange Jabs Over Missiles"

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates stepped up his rhetoric against China on Sunday, dismissing its concerns about American missile-defense plans and Beijing's insistence that its long-range ballistic missiles don't represent a threat to other countries.

Mr. Gates's comments to reporters at a regional security conference in Singapore underscored the security issues that continue to divide Washington and Beijing, despite the relatively nonconfrontational approach to China by President George W. Bush's administration.

U.S. officials are also angry that China continues to strongly support Myanmar despite its junta's refusal to approve extensive foreign relief efforts intended to prevent thousands of Burmese citizens from dying from starvation and illness in the aftermath of a powerful cyclone there.

Mr. Gates's latest comments on China appear to represent a shift. In the run-up to the conference, his aides debated how strongly to criticize Chinese behavior in his prepared remarks Saturday. The U.S. defense chief ultimately decided to make only oblique reference to China in the speech, continuing a recent administration effort to play down disputes with Beijing.

On Sunday, Mr. Gates was significantly more critical of China, in large measure because of unusually pointed remarks from a senior Chinese official that were seen by conference participants as directed squarely at the U.S. and its main regional ally, Japan.

Speaking Saturday, Lt. Gen. Ma Xiaotian, the deputy chief of the general staff of China's People's Liberation Army, said that the U.S. 'expansion of military alliances' and the 'development and expansion of missile-defense systems' was 'undercutting the equilibrium of regional powers.'

The U.S. has been working with Japan to expand missile-defense systems in Asia, and Washington has been pushing Tokyo to strengthen its own military capabilities as the U.S. readjusts its forces in the region and prepares to move 8,000 Marines to Guam from Okinawa.

The Chinese general also brushed aside questions about China's continuing military expansion, arguing that the sharp increases in its military expenditures were in line with the growth of the country's rapidly expanding economy.

China has been investing heavily in missile technology, including the development of longer-range intercontinental ballistic missiles. The missiles are a cause of deep concern to Japan and other U.S. allies across Asia, but Gen. Ma insisted in his remarks that the missiles weren't offensive in nature and shouldn't be seen as threatening.

The Chinese comments surprised many of the defense officials at the Singapore conference, and Mr. Gates largely dismissed them out of hand on Sunday.

The U.S. defense chief argued that the American missile-defense systems envisioned by the Bush administration are so limited in scope that they would be easily 'overwhelmed' by a sustained volley of Chinese intercontinental missiles.

'The facts betray that I think it's more of a political statement than it is one about military strategy,' he remarked on the Chinese concerns about U.S. missile defense.

Mr. Gates rejected Gen. Ma's contention that the Chinese missiles didn't represent a threat to the U.S. or any neighboring Asian countries.

'I don't know what you use them for if it's not for offensive capability,' he said. 'It's hard to see an intercontinental ballistic missile as a defensive weapon.'

The Pentagon chief also said the U.S. was concerned about the 'numbers and the nature' of China's military build-up, concerns echoed by many of the other senior defense officials at the conference.

Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he didn't believe the increase in China's military budget 'by itself is a bad thing,' but said he was 'wondering, is it only aimed at defending itself.' If there was more transparency, he added, 'about what sort of capacity, for what purpose, that will generate more confidence.'

美国国防部长罗伯特•盖茨(Robert Gates)在周日的讲话中进一步向中国发出信号，希望打消中方对美国导弹防御计划的担忧，并对中国坚称其远程弹道导弹计划不会对别国构成威胁的说法提出反驳。

从盖茨在新加坡的一个地区安全会议上对记者发表的评论可以看出，尽管布什(George W. Bush)政府对中国采取了相对非对抗立场，但美中双方在安全问题上依然存在分歧。

美国方面还对中国在缅甸军政府拒绝接受广泛国际援助的情况下仍对其提供强力支持的做法感到恼火。在上月初缅甸遭遇强风暴袭击后，大批外国救援力量希望能进入该国，帮助成千上万受灾民众摆脱饥饿和疾病的困扰。

盖茨近两日针对中国发表的最新评论有明显“变调”。在启程前往新加坡出席地区安全会议时，盖茨的助手们讨论了盖茨周六讲话时在评论中国的做法时应采取何种程度的措辞。盖茨最终决定，延续美国政府近期弱化与中方分歧的做法，在讲话中不直接提及中国。

但到周日，盖茨却明显提高了批评中国的调门，这很大程度上是因为，中方一位高级官员之前发表了措辞异常尖锐的讲话，与会人士认为，其讲话直接针对美国及其主要盟友日本。

中国人民解放军副总参谋长马晓天周六在新加坡发表讲话说，美国军事联盟的扩张及其导弹防御体系的发展和扩张将破坏本地区的力量均衡。

眼下，美国正在调整其在亚洲的军事部署，并准备将8,000名海军陆战队士兵从日本冲绳调整到关岛。美国一直与日本合作在亚洲扩展导弹防御体系，并敦促日本加强其自身军事实力。

马晓天还对外界因中国持续扩张军力而产生的疑问不以为然，称中国军费开支大量增加与中国经济的迅速增长是相称的。

中国一直在大力投资开发导弹技术，包括开发远程洲际弹道导弹。这是日本和美国在亚洲的其他盟友忧心中国的原因之一，但马晓天在讲话中坚称，中国发展的洲际导弹本质上并不是进攻性的，对它不应感到威胁。

中方的评论让出席新加坡防务会议的许多官员深感意外，盖茨随即在周日的讲话中对这些说法一一予以驳斥。

盖茨指出，布什政府计划建设的美国导弹防御体系覆盖范围有限，很容易被中国密集发射的洲际导弹“摧垮”。

他就中国对美国导弹防御体系表示的担忧评论说，事实表明，这不是针对美国军事策略发表看法，而是一篇政治声明。

盖茨驳斥了马晓天所谓中国的导弹不会对美国及其亚洲盟国构成威胁的说法。

他说，如果导弹不具备进攻性能，我不知道你们还会拿它来干什么。很难将洲际弹道导弹视为防御性武器。

盖茨还表示，美国对中国军事扩张的规模和性质感到担忧，与会的其他许多高级防务官员也表示了同样的担忧。

日本防卫大臣石破茂(Shigeru Ishiba)说，他认为中国增加军事开支本身并不是一件坏事，但他说，他想知道的是这是否只是为加强自身防御。他说，如果这方面能增加透明度，比如让外界了解增加了哪些方面的力量、用于何种目的等等，那将有助于加强外界的信任。