military 'to be projected' further, stronger
China said yesterday it will project its military further beyond its borders at sea and more assertively in the air, defending the construction of artificial islands which sparked concerns in Washington. The people's Liberation Army navy will put a greater emphasis "open seas protection", rather than "offshore waters defence" alone, the State Council, China's cabinet, said in a white paper. At the same time its air force will shift focus "from territorial air defence to both defence and offence," it said. The army will increase its global mobility and artillery forces will strengthen capabilities for "medim and long-rang precision strikes", it added. The paper was released with China and the US at loggerheads over Beijing claims almost in its entirety. China on Friday declared that its military "drove away" a US surveillance aircraft frying near the artificial island, after US media witnessed a tense radio change. A CNN television crew aboard a P-8 Poseidon plane heard the Chinese navy issuing eight warning and American pilots replaying in each case that they were flying through "international airspace". Official media also yesterday that China will build two 50-metre-high lighthouses on reefs in the Spratly islands, which are also claimed by Vietnam and the Philippines. Th facilities will be built on the Cuarteron and Johnson South reefs, the Xinhua news agency cited officials as saying. The latter saw a battle between the Chinese and Vietnamese navise in 1998. Beijing has in creased annual spending on its military