Publicado el 08-24-2012
China Could Become a
Serious Nuclear Threat
Recent reports in the international media indicate that China is developing a new generation of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched missiles that could reach the United States and overwhelm missile-detecting systems.
These efforts on the part of China to improve its military capacity both conventional and nuclear has for a long time caused concern in the U.S. Congress and among countries in East Asia.
Some experts have concluded that China might soon have up to ten nuclear warheads placed in intercontinental ballistic missiles, and it is known that in recent weeks China has been testing submarine-launched missiles.
In a story published on August 24th by The New York Times, Sun Zhe, professor of international relations of Tsinghua University in Beijing and commentator on China-U.S. relations, is quoted as saying that China was developing its military forces only to respond to continued efforts by other countries, particularly the United States, to continue improving their own forces.
Up to now, the United States has maintained that its main concern in Asia is North Korea, a country that has been testing long-range missiles and developing nuclear weapons, and because of this it has placed radar systems in northern Japan capable of tracking ballistic missiles. But, in view of these recent reports, the United States must be seriously concerned by what China is doing.
China is an important trade partner of the United States and it also has invested billions in U.S. Treasury bonds, for which it is regularly paid interest. This situation merits that on both sides there be serious interest in not disrupting the balance of power and in maintaining the status quo.
It is in no way an exaggeration to think that every precaution taken is not enough on the part of the United States faced with what China represents for many decades now.
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