[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 21881]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



           CHINA's CONVENTIONAL FORCE MILITARY MODERNIZATION

  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I call attention to a report prepared at my 
request by the Library of Congress' Congressional Research Service 
entitled ``China's Foreign Conventional Arms Acquisitions: Background 
and Analysis.'' As ranking member of the Subcommittee on International 
Security, Proliferation, and Federal Services of the Governmental 
Affairs Committee, I have been keenly interested in the implications of 
Chinese conventional force modernization on Asian stability.
  I am providing copies of this excellent analysis, which was 
authorized by Shirley Kan, Christopher Bolkcom, and Ronald O'Rourke, to 
all Senators. I believe my colleagues will find the report useful and 
insightful as we assess American policy towards China.
  The report examines the major foreign conventional weapon systems 
that China has acquired or has committed to acquire since 1990, with 
particular attention to implications for U.S. security concerns. It 
pays special attention to Chinese air and naval acquisitions and 
describes how Chinese leaders began to pay greater attention to 
modernizing the People's Liberation Army, PLA, in the early 1990s, 
transforming it from a force mainly oriented towards domestic security 
to one focused on modern warfare. Since then, China has ranked among 
the top 10 leading arms buyers among developing nations.
  According to the analysis, the catalyst for PLA modernization, 
including the procurement of advanced foreign military equipment, was 
China's view that its top security problem was preventing Taiwan's 
permanent separation and securing unification as ``one China.'' 
However, additional security goals may be precluding Japan's rise as 
the strongest Asian power, ensuring Chinese influence over the Korean 
Peninsula, supporting Chinese claims to territory in the East and South 
China Seas, subduing India's quest for power, and countering American 
power in the region.
  As China modernizes its forces, it is clear that arms sales from 
Russia are essential, providing advance aircraft, including Su-27 
fighters, missile systems, submarines, and surface ships. The report is 
unclear as to the strategic advantage derived by Russia in selling such 
advanced systems to a country with which it historically has had 
difficulty along a shared border.
  The report concludes that the operational significance of these major 
qualitative upgrades through foreign arms acquisitions remains to be 
seen and will depend in large measure on the PLA's ability to 
demonstrate an ability to conduct effective joint military operations.
  The report also does an excellent job of comparing Chinese new 
conventional weapons to American capabilities, suggesting that in most 
cases--with some critical exceptions--American forces still retain a 
tactical and strategic edge. For example, the report mentions the 
potential threat from a nuclear armed SS-N-22, an anti-ship cruise 
missile, and the superior capabilities of the Su-27 fighter aircraft. 
Obviously, the United States should not be complacent. The Chinese are, 
for the first time in modern history, developing a capability to 
project air and naval forces beyond their coastal areas. The Untied 
States needs to seek ways to address any threat to American interests 
as a result of that capability not only through pursuing our own 
military modernization program but also through a strategic dialogue 
with China which reassures China that we have a shared desire in 
regional stability. Indeed, in many ways, initiating a productive 
diplomatic dialogue with China on Asian security may be more difficult 
than maintaining our qualitative edge on power projection.
  Again, I commend this excellent report by the Congressional Research 
Service which was coordinated by Shirley Kan, a specialist in National 
Security Policy. It is one of the most comprehensive, unclassified 
assessments currently available on Chinese conventional arms 
acquisitions.

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