China Today

The rise of China presents unique challenges for the United States across a broad spectrum of political and economic issues. But for U.S. policy makers and the national security community, the growth of the Chinese military, in particular, is a perplexing challenge that requires close monitoring in the coming years.

In broader political terms, the U.S. has much to gain from a cooperative relationship with China. China is one of the United States' largest trading partners, and both economies benefit from a friendly relationship. The U.S. would also like to see the security of allies in the region un-challenged by provocations from China. But U.S. policy makers need to be realistic, preparing for all possibilities. Whether the U.S.-China relationship of the future is a cooperative one or adversarial one, or somewhere in between, is uncertain. However, it would not be surprising, looking back on history, if friction were to arise between two powerful nations with their own global interests. U.S. policy makers now and in the future will be challenged with how to best nurture this relationship, so that it may contribute to regional and global security and not threaten it. In the mean time, there are several notable sources of concern.

China's economy has enjoyed substantial growth over the past ten years, allowing China to spend more on the modernization of its military. Coupled with this build-up, Chinese espionage against the U.S. government and private industry, in order to access advanced technologies and U.S. weapons systems, is extremely alarming. An example of this, recently in the news, includes an alleged incident in Hawaii involving the illicit transfer of secret stealth technology to the Chinese. If this proves to be true, China's acquisition of this sensitive information helps to further accelerate their modernization efforts in a provocative fashion. U.S. forces also risk losing the technological advantage that the U.S. military depends on to maintain a critical