CHINA’S MILITARY

ANALYSIS: STEALTH FLIGHT SPARKS CHINA POLITICS GUESSING GAME

Sui-Lee Wee

Reuters, January 14, 2011

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates' call for China's military to communicate better with its civilian leaders underscores the policy disconnect in Beijing and raises questions over who really wields control in China.

Beijing confirmed this week it had held its first test flight of the J-20 stealth fighter jet, surprising many in the international community who had underestimated China's ability to develop technology to one day rival the United States.

Was the timing of the launch meant to coincide with Gates' visit and, if so, why; and was Chinese President Hu Jintao genuinely unaware of the flight, signaling a worrying lack of communication between China's military and its civilian leaders?

Hu told Gates the launch was not designed to coincide with the U.S. Defense Secretary's visit.

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