Military growth raises tensions

 Nowhere are the misgivings between China and the United States deeper than in the two countries’ military competition.

 “I would be the first to admit that distrust lingers on both sides,” said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “The United States and the international community have watched China’s efforts to modernize and expand its military, and we have sought to clarify its intentions.”

 Recent Chinese weapon developments, such as work on a missile designed to target aircraft carriers and the recent test of a stealth jet fighter, may not be as alarming as headlines suggest. Both systems appear to be years from deployment.

 Yet to some, they suggest that China is looking not only to reinforce its dominance in the long-standing dispute about Taiwan but also to counterbalance the U.S. presence in the East China and South China seas.

 Many observers suspect that these developments are motivated partially by worries from China’s leadership that the United States is trying to hem in China’s rise by strengthening ties with Japan and South Korea and by emphasizing American naval superiority.