VZCZCXRO4309
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #4667 3590749
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 240749Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1617
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS BEIJING 004667 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/CM, EAP/PA, EAP/PD, C 
HQ PACOM FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR (J007) 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR CH
 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: NUCLEAR WEAPON, CHINA'S NATIONAL DEFENCE 
 
-------------------- 
  Editorial Quotes 
-------------------- 
 
¶1. NUCLEAR WEAPON 
 
"Are nuclear weapons still useful?" 
 
Peng Guangqian, a renowned analyst of nuclear and military strategy 
and one of the founders of Global Zero, expressed in the official 
Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu 
Shibao) (12/24): "U.S. Defense Secretary Gates has recently stated 
that the U.S. Government needs to expand its nuclear power in order 
to deal with resurgent powers like Russia and China, and rogue 
states like Iran and North Korea. There are questions that should be 
asked; does America have enough nuclear weapons? Does America need 
to further expand its nuclear stockpile? As a matter of fact, 
America's nuclear strength is saturated. Does America really want to 
destroy the whole world a second time? (Currently, the U.S. has 
enough nuclear power to destroy the world once.) Even if America has 
an absolute superiority in nuclear weapons, they do not have the 
absolute freedom to use them. America's decline from hegemonic 
status is a result of the excessive expansion of its nuclear 
capabilities. The superstition of nuclear should come to an end, and 
the whole world needs to cooperate together on cutting nuclear 
weapons." 
 
 
¶2. CHINA'S NATIONAL DEFENCE 
 
"Investment in national defense should be increased during times of 
economic weakness" 
 
Guo Yadong, an engineer of the Naval Equipment and Logistics 
Technology Research Institute wrote in the official Communist Party 
international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao) 
(12/24): "An increase of China's expenditure in national defense 
will help promote its economy.  An increased expenditure in national 
defense will help achieve the same outcome as increased expenditures 
in infrastructure. The commercialization of defense technology can 
also contribute greatly to the nation's economic growth such as GPS 
technology and the use of the internet. As a rising superpower, if 
China wants to take on more responsibility, it has to 
comprehensively upgrade its national defense. This will also lead to 
a fairer and reasonable international world political and economic 
order." 
 
RANDT