China warns anti-missile system could destabilise Asia

China says the anti-missile system being developed by the United States, Japan and Australia, could destabilise Asia.
At the Asia-Pacific Defence Summit in Singapore, China has issued its warning in unusually blunt terms, and drawn return fire from the US Defence Secretary as well as Australia's Defence Minister.
From Singapore, Graeme Dobell reports.
GRAEME DOBELL: Japan and Australia have separately signed up to the United States research program on shooting down ballistic missiles, and now a closer partnership is being born. Already, Japan has deployed the first Patriot missiles for the system.
China is getting worried and becoming more forceful in arguing that missile defences could upset the Asian balance of power.
One of China's military chiefs, Lieutenant General Zhang Qinsheng.
ZHANG QINSHENG (translated): China is quite concerned about this intention of the United States and Japan. We are worried that this kind of deployment will destabilise Asia.
GRAEME DOBELL: The General says missile defences could threaten regional stability and peace, especially by giving Taiwan greater security from the threat of Chinese missiles.
ZHANG QINSHENG (translated): If Japan and the United States deploys a missile defence system that covers Taiwan, we're going to oppose it very strongly.
GRAEME DOBELL: The United States has spent $107-billion on missile defence research since Ronald Reagan launched his Star Wars program more than two decades ago. But according to the US Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, the aim is to deter North Korea, not China.
ROBERT GATES: Either rogue countries or rogue governments or terrorist groups. The capabilities that we're talking about are not designed to deal with the large scale threats such as would be posed by either the Russians or the Chinese. So, in neither case is ballistic missile defence aimed at either weakening the deterrent of either China or Russia.
GRAEME DOBELL: Australia's Foreign Minister and Defence Minister are heading to Japan for talks based on the new security agreement between the two countries, with anti-missile research one element in the partnership. The joint Australia-US satellite intelligence base at Pine Gap, near Alice Springs, is central to any missile defence system.
And when the Australian Cabinet ticks the $10-billion purchase of three air warfare destroyers next month, it'll be buying not just ships, but the mobile platforms that could be used to shoot down ballistic missiles.
The Defence Minister, Brendan Nelson, says that should not scare China.
BRENDAN NELSON: We're not talking about some blanket screening anti-ballistic missile capability for the region but rather a capability to deal with specific threats which may come from rogue states, or God forbid, from non-state actors.
TONY EASTLEY: Australia's Defence Minister, Brendan Nelson. In Singapore there, Graeme Dobell reporting.