06-09-2008, 01:45 AM
âChina improving N-arsenalâ
* Arms expert says development raises arms control questions
BEIJING: China is making dramatic improvements to its nuclear arsenal, raising questions for future arms control efforts, a leading arms expert said on Thursday.
Recent upgrades have increased the accuracy and mobility of Chinaâs arsenal, while a switch from liquid to solid fuel has shortened reaction times, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Director Bates Gill said.
âChina stands out in its effort to modernise, expand and improve its nuclear weapons capability,â Gill said at a panel for journalists while on a visit to Beijing to promote the instituteâs annual report on the global arms industry. China signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1992, and Gill said the recent steps were mainly aimed at reducing the vulnerability of Chinaâs deterrent force.
Questions: Still, he added, among the five nuclear powers, China was âmaking the most dramatic improvements in its nuclear force and this obviously raises arms control questionsâ.
After more than a decade of double-digit percentage increases in annual defence spending, improvements in Chinaâs conventional military âare even more dramaticâ, Gill said.
âThis is a dramatic increase in the military capability of China, targeted mostly at Taiwan but clearly with the possibility going forward of force projection elsewhere,â Gill said, referring to the self-governing island that China claims is part of its territory and has threatened to invade.
But Gill praised Beijing for reining in its sales of weapons and military technology abroad, which he said was largely done out of a desire to be viewed as a more responsible player in international society.
According to the institute, China has only a two percent share of the global arms export trade. ap
* Arms expert says development raises arms control questions
BEIJING: China is making dramatic improvements to its nuclear arsenal, raising questions for future arms control efforts, a leading arms expert said on Thursday.
Recent upgrades have increased the accuracy and mobility of Chinaâs arsenal, while a switch from liquid to solid fuel has shortened reaction times, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Director Bates Gill said.
âChina stands out in its effort to modernise, expand and improve its nuclear weapons capability,â Gill said at a panel for journalists while on a visit to Beijing to promote the instituteâs annual report on the global arms industry. China signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1992, and Gill said the recent steps were mainly aimed at reducing the vulnerability of Chinaâs deterrent force.
Questions: Still, he added, among the five nuclear powers, China was âmaking the most dramatic improvements in its nuclear force and this obviously raises arms control questionsâ.
After more than a decade of double-digit percentage increases in annual defence spending, improvements in Chinaâs conventional military âare even more dramaticâ, Gill said.
âThis is a dramatic increase in the military capability of China, targeted mostly at Taiwan but clearly with the possibility going forward of force projection elsewhere,â Gill said, referring to the self-governing island that China claims is part of its territory and has threatened to invade.
But Gill praised Beijing for reining in its sales of weapons and military technology abroad, which he said was largely done out of a desire to be viewed as a more responsible player in international society.
According to the institute, China has only a two percent share of the global arms export trade. ap