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Asian Interests Heat Up As US Election Draws Near

Posted on: Friday, 24 October 2008, 08:03 CDT

China is trying to develop an advanced unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as part of a strategy to combine civilian and military technology in weapons and nonmilitary equipment, according to an internal Chinese government document.

The Washington Times obtained the document, which is a feasibility report dated July 8.

It labeled the "National Defense Science and Technology Industry Military and Civilian Dual-Use Research and Development Special Project."

A U.S. official, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the document appears genuine.

Chinese Embassy spokesman Wang Baodong had no comment on the document.

The paper says the goal of the project is to produce a high-altitude, low-speed, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle in two years.

According to the document, civilian will use the vehicle for aerial exploration, air-to-ground monitoring and other scientific work. Military applications for the UAV are outlined as "military aerial inspection and detection, electronic warfare and other missions."

The state-run company in charge of the program is a major Chinese weapons manufacturer, the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp.

"We hope to be able to provide quality, practical products for military and civilian clients in a speedy manner," the document says.

"At present, the United States and Israel have mastered the technology central to this type of aerial vehicle, and they have imposed a technology blockage to other countries and have exerted especially strict control with regard to our country," the document says.

China bought Israeli Harpy anti-radar drones that home in on enemy radar with an explosive charge. In the 1990s, the drone missiles were first detected by U.S. intelligence agencies deployed near Taiwan.

The rush is on among national security hands for the strategic positions of China and Asia policy advisers since the U.S. presidential election is less than two weeks away.

For Democrat Sen. Barack Obama, the chief campaign Asia adviser and likely National Security Council staff director for Asia is Jeff Bader, a former diplomat, NSC staffer and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative official.

Bader has been advising Obama on China and Asia with Richard Bush, the former American Institute in Taiwan director, now with the Brookings Institution, who could become the assistant secretary of state for East Asia.

Wendy Sherman, an ambassador and senior aide to former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, is also a key Asia adviser to Mr. Obama.

Sherman said, when asked how an Obama administration would deal with China, that the senator thinks the United States needs to be "actively engaged" with China and at the same time Beijing should be pressed to follow through on its international obligations.

"[Mr. Obama] believes we need to remain vigilant on China's military modernization, but he doesn't want to demonize China," she said. "He believes we need a constructive relationship with China."

Obama thinks the United States did not do enough to pressure China on its human-rights abuses in Tibet after the riots that took place there last summer, she said.

As for Sen. John McCain, key national security aides who could oversee China policy include Randy Scheunemann, director of foreign policy and national security for the campaign, and Michael Green, a former NSC Asia staff director during the Bush administration.

Dan Blumenthal, a conservative and former Pentagon China policy official now with the American Enterprise Institute, is also a McCain Asia adviser, along with Richard Fontaine, a Senate staffer to Mr. McCain.

Randy Shriver, who is with former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage's consulting group, Armitage Associates, is also part of the McCain Asia policy brain trust. Mr. Shriver was a China policymaker at the State Department and Pentagon.

Southeast Asia specialists on the McCain team include Ashley Tellis of the Carnegie Endowment and Lisa Curtis and Walter Lohman, both with the Heritage Foundation.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said this week that he has signed more than 1,000 letters of condolence to the families of casualties from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr. Gates said, "What was really important to me from the very beginning [is] that the fallen not become statistics, and so in addition to signing each of the condolence letters, I hand-write a note on each of them."
Gates also said he wanted to see photos of each service member and any local newspapers stories about the war casualty. "I want to get to know every one of these people and the sacrifice that they've made," he said.

"I don't think you can do this without it changing you. I'd like to think that it made me a little better."

Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

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