Taipei, March 4 (CNA) A potential cross-Taiwan Strait conflict is only short-term goal of China's rapid military buildup and the international community should pay more attention to China's real objectives, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Tuesday.
Responding to an annual assessment of China’s military capabilities submitted to the U.S. Congress by the Pentagon that was released Monday, the MAC said in a statement that the report proves that the main short-term focus of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is the Taiwan Strait.
The report says China's capabilities have been expanding from the land, air and sea dimensions of the traditional battlefield into space and cyber-space. China also has around 1,000 CSS-6 and CSS-7 short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) aimed at Taiwan.
China's expanding military capabilities are destabilizing East Asian military situations and threatening peace in the Asia-Pacific region, the MAC said, urging the international community to probe the real objectives of the buildup and take necessary measures to deal with potential Taiwan Strait situations.
The PLA has deployed its main strike forces in southeastern regions of China and although the situation in the Taiwan Strait remains stable, the balance of military power continues to shift in China's favor, the report warns.
China's massive military modernization and preparation go against its previous pledges of a "peaceful rise and peaceful development, " said the MAC.