Two questions: why should the US demand transparency of China regarding its military when the US maintains the utmost secrecy about its military-technological research, including unaccounted defense expenditures? Furthermore, why does this all function as a criticism of China when the US spends more on its military than the rest of the world combined? Be afraid of China is the message. This is one of the new right-wing memes -- China's attempt to create a multipolar world. Given the abusive use of hegemony that the US has been up to the past few years, I'm not so sure that a multipolar world isn't the right direction. Taiwan is a hot point. But China is not making noise about evil empires needing conquering for their own good on the other side of the world either.
In an interview with reporters accompanying him from Washington, Rumsfeld said the United States and other countries would like to know why the Chinese government has understated its defense spending. He mentioned no budget figures, but the Pentagon said last summer that China may be spending $90 billion on defense this year -- three times the announced total.
"I think it's interesting that other countries wonder why they would be increasing their defense effort at the pace they are and yet not acknowledging it," Rumsfeld said. "That is as interesting as the fact that it's increasing at the pace it is."
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