Adm. Mullen "Genuinely Concerned" About China's Military Buildup

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff addresses audience members at the Asia Society Washington Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C.

/ Dept. of Defense

Wednesday night Adm. Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, gave a speech to the Asia Society in which he said, "I have moved from being curious to being genuinely concerned" about China's military buildup.

For years there has been an argument among China hands about what Beijing was up to. China's stated goal is territorial defense but it seemed to be investing in equipment such as long range missiles and even an aircraft carrier which traditionally are used to project power overseas.

Why would China want a military that could operate thousands of miles away from the Chinese mainland? For one, China has never given up the quest to retake Taiwan, which it can never do as long as the United States is pledged to come to Taiwan's defense. But if China can launch long range missiles against the U.S. Navy it would have the capability to at least interfere with America's defense of Taiwan.

And then there is the competition for energy. China's burgeoning economy needs all the fuel it can get and there may come a day when the U.S. and Chinese are competing for the same pool of oil.

There isn't much cause for concern. The U.S. has capabilities - 11 aircraft carriers, for instance - which the Chinese are only now thinking of.

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David Martin is CBS News' National Security Correspondent. You can read more of his posts in World Watch here.

[melpol2]

China in a practical sense is the 51 state, the US has no desire to break this productive relationship. The next war will be an attempt by China and the US to seize full control of Middle East oil resources. Islamic resistance will be brought to an end by experienced Chinese Atheists.

[babooph]

China builds aircraft carriers? Great news a surface fleet,proven obsolete against nuclear since 1946,is a terrible WASTE of a nations military costs-now only China is as foolish as the States-unless China wants to use it against non nuclear nations.[Overseas troop ability is new for a US adversary-all the BS in the cold war avoided the fact that the Soviets NEVER bothered with any real ability to send an army over an ocean...]

[toldyouso21]

11 aircraft carriers. WOW. That is a lot....

[6591Hou]

One aircraft carrier won't make China much of a global blue water threat, but it will make a substantial threat to Taiwan.
Scenario: China declares a blockade of Taiwan because of some affront and places their navy around Taiwan and declares a no-fly zone. Some shots are fired (probably from land in the general direction of the Chinese ships), return fire, amphibious landings take place, Taiwan is now part of China.
Our country's political will to go to blows with our biggest creditor over Taiwan, particularly while engaged in the Middle East, could prove less than up to the challenge.

[roach9703]

As they say, possession is 90 % of the law. That is very true in international politics. The Chinese hack and try to jam our computers,send us food often laced in poison, and they sell us computer chips that contain what ? Jam Jam Jam and then bam bam bam.

[vietnamwar]

Only Moron and Idiots believe China.

[newsterI]

Why would China want a military that could operate thousands of miles away from the Chinese mainland?"

Simple, like us and our threats, if a country threatens CHina, they can strike them "there" at their own home, instead of on the China mainland.
Why should we be surprised they would come up with the same idea- strike the enemy where they live instead of letting them come to your own country first.

[wyodutch]

Why be concerned about red china when we have *real* enemies equipped with diabolical devices such as underwear of mass destruction... burning shoes and smoldering SUV's. Not to mention the recent arrest of the turbaned terrorists in New Jersey who allegedly were seen lifting weights and brandishing paintball guns.
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[tsigili]

The entire planet is a hotbed of conflicts. China's activities are not nearly as urgent as the Islamic threat to the entire planet.

[wyodutch]

Ahhhh... So you took the blue pill... Deciding it is better to accept the propaganda than to question it.

[t7t87t78t78t]

it couldnt be that he's creating fear about chinas military build up because if he didnt create these imaginary enemies in his own head that he and others like him would be out of a job. this is almost as sad as a fire man setting fires just to make himself look like a hero. before adm mulen talks about other countries build up, he might want to look at the u.s. military budget of $700 billion, an amount more than all countries in the world combined. the u.s. operates about 1000 military bases world wide. id say if anyone needed to be concerned, it'd be china, and the rest of the non nato world .

[wyodutch]

Unpatriotic! Traitor! Defeatist!
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Doesn't Mullins know that we have bigger fish to fry than the red chinese military???
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My GOD! We're engaged in a great patriotic war to bring democracy, apple pie and no-bid contracts to Iraq and Afghanistan.