Blog 1 (Topic War) China Missile Program Brannon Whitesell

            For the past few years now, anyone who is concerned with war probably knows that China has been building their military up non stop and plans to keep building it up.   I have been personally concerned with this for a few years now and have been wondering what their reasons for doing this are.  I first came to know about China building it’s military up when I watched a video online of Chinas new military jets.  I have asked myself if they are building their military with intentions of wanting to keep China safe or do they have other intentions, such as war? People are starting to worry about this new military powerhouse. 

China is now in the development stages of new types of ballistic missiles according to an article from the WALL SREET JOURNAL entitled China's Ballistic Missisles: A Force to be Reckoned With by Andrew Erickson and Gabe Collins.  In this article, it seems as though China doesn’t want to be taken lightly, but then again what are their intentions?  According to the article China could be stepping up their military to keep Taiwan from becoming an independent country and also to keep China as the main powerhouse in Asia.  The United States is willing to work with China and Russia, which according to this article are the only two countries that actually have the ballistic missile power to attack U.S. soil.  The United States is working on strengthening their missile defenses in the Asia-Pacific, which makes me ask are we worried about a potential war crisis?  This article seems to hint at this question but doesn’t completely ask it.  China and Russia are being cautious about working with the United States in learning about missile defense.  The United States and China have to maintain good relations as China builds it’s military.   

This upcoming election will be interesting to see where both parties stand on this issue and what their plans may be. 

SOURCE LINK:  http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2012/08/24/chinas-ballistic-missiles-a-force-to-be-reckoned-with/