Hayden takes China to task

“I stand back in admiration at how the Chinese have constructed, built technology, integrated the technology, trained to the technology, modernized their forces opposite Taiwan,” he said. “And the development or stealing of the technology in order to underwrite that, from our perspective, it’s been a very integrated master plan.”

China's military is accelerating the buildup of its military forces with new weapons systems and technology, including computer-warfare skills and anti-satellite weapons, according to a Pentagon report made public last week.

Mr. Hayden said U.S. intelligence analysts have differing views on the motives behind the buildup, which has entailed more than a decade of double-digit increases in military spending. He also said the buildup appears to have much to do with China’s historical role as the dominant power in Asia, a position it has held for millennia.

“When you sit back and see what they have done in terms of a big military shifting its weight from an army that had little red books, and [stressed] the importance of manpower and political ideology, to one that has absorbed the lessons of both Gulf wars, it is a remarkable, remarkable accomplishment,” he said.

China’s strategic nuclear-forces buildup, based on numbers of long-range missiles, does not appear to be a “first-strike” capability, Mr. Hayden said.

Meanwhile, Adm. Timothy J. Keating, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, said at a Senate hearing Tuesday that military relations with China are growing but that “there are miles to go before we sleep in our relationship with China.”

“We want a mature, constructive, cooperative relationship,” he said. “We are making progress, But, as I said, we have a long way to go.”

China's military goals include seeking to expand influence throughout the Pacific, Adm. Keating said.

“They are working all throughout Oceania, the area that is Australia’s front porch, if you will, on through the Indian Ocean and all the way into internal Africa to develop these ports of call so as to provide some, it would seem, some sort of foothold in the area, not just a military port presence, so as to be able to protect that which is theirs and to ensure access to those maritime domains,” Adm. Keating said.

“We are watching that, and not necessarily attempting to counter it but just serve as a balance to those countries who are subjected to the Chinese pressure, offering them some sort of balance on a military basis at Pacific Command headquarters.”