Asia-Pacific becoming "more intricate and volatile," China says

Beijing - China on Thursday said its military forces faced a 'more intricate and volatile' security situation in the Asia-Pacific, including disputes over maritime rights, tension on the Korean peninsula, and 'increasing involvement' by the United States.

'The Asia-Pacific security situation is generally stable... [but] is becoming more intricate and volatile,' the government said in a paper on defence policy.

The report highlighted the Korean peninsula, Afghanistan, and 'political turbulence,' ethnic conflict and terrorism in other countries.

It said 'profound changes' were taking place in the region as 'relevant major powers are increasing their strategic investment.'

'The United States is reinforcing its regional military alliances, and increasing its involvement in regional security affairs,' the report said.

It said China was expanding its military power to cope with 'heavy demands in safeguarding national security.'

'China has vast territories and territorial seas. It is in a critical phase of the building of a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way,' the report said.

It said the 'Taiwan independence separatist force' remained the 'biggest obstacle and threat to the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations' between China and the island that it regards as a breakaway province.

'Suspicion about China, interference and countering moves against China from the outside are on the increase,' it said.

'The United States, in defiance of the three Sino-US joint communiques, continues to sell weapons to Taiwan, severely impeding Sino-US relations and impairing the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations,' it said.

It said the modernization of China's 2.5-million-strong People's Liberation Army was part of a 'national defence policy which is defensive in nature' and that increases in military spending had been 'kept at a reasonable and appropriate level.'

China announced an almost 13-per-cent rise in its annual military budget earlier this month, following international concern over consecutive large increases in recent years.

It was second in the list of the world's biggest military spenders in 2009, behind only the United States, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported last year.

China's estimated military spending tripled in real terms over 10 years of rapid economic growth to reach 99 billion dollars in 2009, about one-seventh of the estimated US spending, the institute said.

Some Western critics claim China's real military spending is up to three times the budget figure.

In a reflection of China's growing military might, a prototype of China's first known stealth fighter plane made a test flight in January.

US defence analysts have highlighted China's development of advanced fighter aircraft and missiles, attack submarines, electronic warfare and anti-satellite capability.

China is also expected to launch its first aircraft carrier in the next few years.