TOKYO - Advances by China's military in cyber and anti-satellite warfare technology could challenge the ability of U.S. forces to operate in the Pacific, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in prepared remarks on Friday during a visit to Japan.
Just days after meetings in China meant to bolster ties with its military, Gates expressed renewed concerns about a buildup by the People's Liberation Army, which flexed its muscle this week with its first-ever test flight of a stealth fighter jet.
Gates called China's military modernisation programme "opaque" and stressed that, without the U.S. military presence in Japan, China "might behave more assertively towards its neighbours".