China Models U.S. in Trading Partner Selection, Not Defense

China's new interest in Latin America is more pragmatic than ideological. Shaking hands with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez may encourage other left-wing Latin American countries to welcome China's advances, but China certainly does not choose its trading partners according to their political bent - as ties to Iran, Myanmar and Sudan demonstrate. Of course, China is by no means averse to establishing a strategic foothold in Washington's traditional backyard. China's quiet deployment of riot police to the UN stabilisation mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) brought Chinese troops within 900 km of the US mainland.

“China Seeks Latin Partner,” Jane’s Foreign Report, 2/01/06.

The Bush administration frequently has voiced concern about China's growing military spending. After as many as 17 years of double-digit defense spending increases, China is currently spending two to three times more than the $30 billion publicly announced as its defense budget, U.S. officials estimate [or, 4.4 to 6.7 times less than the reported $401.7bn U.S. defense budget].

Jim Wolf, “U.S. seeks to curb China’s might: Pentagon official,” Reuters, 2/01/06.

Office of Management and Budget, Department of Defense Budget summary.