The guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin performs a breakaway maneuver from a formation with the Chinese People's Liberation Army-Navy frigate Zhoushan in the Gulf of Aden Nov. 19, 2009 as part of a multinational task force established to conduct counterpiracy operations off the coast of Somalia. (Photo: U.S. Navy/Scott Taylor)
A Defense Department report released Monday says the Chinese government is rapidly expanding the military, developing long-range weapons to expand its global reach. The yearly report, which is required by Congress, was released five and a half months late.
U.S. officials express concern that China is being secretive about its military growth, and that it continues to reject military relations with the U.S. The Chinese government suspended those relations earlier this year, following the announcement that the U.S. would sell over $6 billion of weapons to Taiwan, an American ally that China considers part of its own territory.
