The Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, Duncan Hunter, said he called the hearing on China's growing military might as US lawmakers increasingly become concerned about Beijing's intentions.

"We're holding this hearing because we've all noticed some disturbing trends in the Pacific over the last decade," he said, noting that "since the early 1990s China's military spending has grown faster than its economy."

"Naturally, we have to ask ourselves who China expects to use all these weapons against," Hunter said.

Experts who testified at the hearing underscored the potential risk from China's military prowess.

"There is no question that the Chinese military is a potential adversary of the United States in the Taiwan Strait," said Franklin Kramer, a former assistant secretary of state.

In particular, he said China's growing naval might poses a challenge.

"Improvements in anti-ship cruise missiles potentially challenge the United States Navy in ways that it has not been since the end of the Cold War," Kramer said.

Richard Fisher, vice president of the International Assessment and Strategy Center, agreed.

"China is on the cusp of fielding a modern force capable of joint service offensive operations," he said.

The hearing was held after a top Chinese general this month warned that China would use nuclear weapons if the US military intervened in Taiwan.

A Pentagon report last week said that the said the size and pace of China's weapons acquisitions could threaten the military balance with Taiwan -- which China considers a renegade province -- and pose a threat to other armies in the Asia region.

The report estimated China's defence spending at two-three times greater than acknowledged by Beijing, or up to 90 billion dollars this year.

The White House said last week however that it did not view China as a threat, saying it hoped to work in a "constructive and cooperative way" with Beijing.

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

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