Gates hopes to pressure China

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates arrived in China on Sunday, intending to question top Chinese officials about the purpose of their military buildup and pressure them to stop providing arms to Iran.

Pentagon officials have accused China of supplying missile technology to Iran. They have also suggested that more mundane conventional arms designed or built by China have been smuggled by Iran into Iraq and Afghanistan. Chinese officials are well aware of U.S. concerns, but the visit by Gates will be a chance for a more direct appeal.

“That is an issue we remain concerned about,” said a senior Defense official traveling with Gates. “The Chinese have heard our message, but we really do not know what effect it has had.”

American officials argue that China’s military sales and secrecy over its military budgets create confusion about its intentions.

At a news conference last week, Gates singled out China’s growing military spending.

“I have concerns with a variety of the military programs that they have underway and the developmental programs,” Gates said Thursday. “I have concern with the lack of transparency.”

China denies the U.S. charge that it does not fully disclose its defense budget. But there is little doubt that it has been less than forthcoming about the reasons for quickening the pace of its military spending.

Pentagon officials would like Gates’ visit to help spur franker conversation with China about its strategic goals. Rather than squabbling too much over “tank counts” or budget numbers, U.S. Defense officials hope they can engage China to talk about broader issues.

Publicly, China budgeted some $45 billion for its military this year, an increase of nearly 18% from the previous year. Although it’s often referred to as a military modernization program, some Defense officials believe that is an incorrect characterization of what China is doing.

“I never quite figured out why it was called modernization,” said another Defense official. “They have a pretty modern, sophisticated military. It would be blunter to call it a buildup.”

China’s intentions for its armed forces remain a subject of discussion among military experts in Washington. Some believe Beijing is building up its military in order to project its might throughout Asia. Key U.S. allies, most notably Japan, have been worried about China’s growing military strength, seeing it as a threat to the current balance of power.

Others believe China is more intent on strengthening and modernizing its forces should it need to deny the U.S. Navy access to the region in the event of a conflict over Taiwan, the island nation with its own democratic government but which Beijing considers part of its territory.

For their part, Chinese officials are likely to press Gates for reassurance that the U.S. remains opposed to Taiwan’s holding a referendum on formal independence.

Gates will spend about two days in Beijing before traveling to South Korea and Japan. In addition to holding discussions with senior military leaders, he is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

At his news conference last week, Gates said he did not consider China a “military threat.” The Defense chief seems intent on not publicly emphasizing the points of contention between the two nations in order to improve his chances at behind-the-scenes advances.

But progress occurs only gradually. The Chinese agreed to a dedicated hotline between Beijing and Washington in June and said it would be in place by September. In the months since then, the agreement has been bogged down in technical details, reminding the Pentagon that steps forward in their relations with China are small and deliberate.

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julian.barnes@latimes.com