Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld touched down in Beijing Tuesday for his much-hyped trip to China—a country whose relationship with the United States he characterizes as having had “ups and downs.” Talking to reporters on his trip, he said that the 2001 crash of a US Navy EP-3 on China’s Hainan Island—and the subsequent detention of its crew by the Chinese—led to a freeze of military cooperation that has only recently thawed. He pointed to more high-level military exchanges and ship visits as evidence of the thaw, as well as China’s critical role in the Six Party Talks concerning North Korea’s nuclear arsenal. He also called for more disclosure on China’s booming defense budget, saying the US wants to see the country engage the world “in a peaceful and constructive way.”
DNI: Cyber Is The Common Weapon Among Top Adversaries
April 17, 2021
The top four U.S. adversaries—China, Russia, Iran and North Korea—are improving their military capabilities but relying increasingly on cyber means to challenge the U.S. and blunt its influence around the world, the intelligence community's annual threat assessment says. The report comes amid military tensions with both China and Russia.