…But analysts say China’s political ideology, pragmatism and cautious approach to international intervention all continue to limit its willingness to venture abroad on anything other than peacekeeping missions.

“We do not join in every legitimate action abroad, so if legitimacy is itself in question we are even more reluctant,” said Shen Dingli, a professor of international relations at Shanghai’s Fudan University.

“Also, why should China reinforce Nato when the Taliban is about to defeat Nato, and antagonise the Taliban to attack China? I think that Nato will be defeated by the Taliban, President Obama will leave, and foreign countries should be ready to work with the new Taliban government.”

NORFOLK — Two years ago, federal agents walked into the Newport News office of physicist Quan-Sheng Shu and issued a warning: Selling space technology to China is a violation of federal arms control laws.

On Monday, Shu admitted he did it anyway.

The 68-year-old scientist pleaded guilty to exporting a defense service without a license, exporting a defense article without a license, and bribery of a foreign official. He faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced in April.

Shu admitted to a lengthy set of facts, laid out in a 20-page statement detailing his four years of negotiations with the Chinese, with the help of an unidentified French company, for the design and development of a cryogenic liquid hydrogen rocket system.

According to the Justice Department, China intends to use the technology to send space stations and satellites into orbit, as well as provide support for manned space flight and future lunar missions from its new Hainan space facility….

China’s rekindled aspirations at sea:

In 2006 China Central Television showed a documentary series, Daguo Jueqi (The rise of great powers) (1), which was immediately successful. It included interviews with historians and international leaders and was considered accurate enough to be bought by the History Channel and broadcast in the United States. The 12 50-minute episodes explained how the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, French, British, German, Japanese, Russian and American empires rose, prospered and fell. The man behind the idea, Beijing university professor Qian Chengdan, understands its popular appeal in his own country: “It’s because China, the Chinese people, the Chinese race, has been revitalised and is once again on the world stage” (2).

Daguo Jueqi looks at the maritime achievements of the major powers in their rise to global dominance. Whatever the population, size or territory of the originating country, its strategy was always to open to the outside world, control the principal sea lanes and deep-water bases, and master technology, naval action and influence. Those are the Chinese government’s new priorities, laid down in the 2000 Maritime High Technology Plan and the parallel rise of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

Pragmatism and diplomacy

The documentary broke with decades of Chinese Communist Party historical ideology and revealed China’s current pragmatism as that of a rising power intent on avoiding the arrogant blindness that left it in a long period of weakness in the 19th century. To influence the world in a “harmonious and peaceful” manner (two key words used in current policy), to open China to the world - and the world to China - appears to be Hu Jintao’s present creed. In an unprecedented effort of naval diplomacy in 2007, Chinese warships visited French, Australian, Japanese, Singaporean, Spanish and US ports and took part in joint manoeuvres against the threat of piracy.

How has Taiwan reinvigorated its military cooperation with the US and still become closer to mainland China?

UNDER Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan’s president for eight years from 2000, Taiwan saw markedly worse relations with both its traditional foe, mainland China, and its staunchest ally, America. Ma Ying-jeou, installed as Mr Chen’s successor in May, has hoped to pull off the opposite trick, and improve ties with both. That may not be as impossible as it sounds.

On October 3rd the Bush administration notified Congress that it would sell the island $6.5 billion-worth of weaponry. The package includes 330 Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) missiles, intended to intercept missiles fired from the coast of Fujian province, opposite Taiwan, where China has stationed some 1,400. Taiwan will also buy 30 Apache Longbow attack helicopters, equipped with night-vision sensors, air-to-air missiles and Hellfire missiles; 32 Harpoon submarine-launched missiles; 182 Javelin-guided missiles with 20 launch units; upgrades to four E-2T airborne-warning and control aircraft; and various spare parts. Congress has 30 days to object to items on the list, but is not expected to. …

John Pomfret looks at a new arms deal for Taiwan:

The Bush administration’s announcement Friday that it plans to sell $6 billion in arms to Taiwan is an interesting one, and a sign that the Bush administration is trying to walk a very, very thin line between supporting Taiwan and enraging China.

For one, the package is considerably smaller than one that was being considered. Taiwan gets Apache helicopters, Patriot anti-missile missiles, Javelin anti-tank missiles and spare parts for its air force, among other goodies. But what it doesn’t get is almost as significant; the original package had included 60 Black Hawk helicopters, eight diesel-electric submarines and four Patriot air defense missile batteries. But no mention is made of them on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency…

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates cautions China against bullying its neighbors for natural resources:

“Lt. Gen. Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the general staff of China’s People’s Liberation Army, pushed back during his speech, saying that China was not engaged in an arms race and that its military spending, compared with other sectors of its economy, was “limited and proportional.” In a clear reference to America’s plan to build missile defense systems, General Ma said deploying such defenses “was not helpful” to regional stability.

Mr. Gates made clear that central to the Bush administration’s Asia policy is maintaining American military might and economic sway in the region.”

A US DOJ report reveals that Uighur detainees at Guantanamo Bay were sleep deprived for the benefit of Chinese interrogators, either by US soldiers or by the Chinese themselves.