China says US claims it uses forced technology transfer to boost military are ‘absurd’
- Beijing dismisses ‘unprofessional’ Pentagon report that said it was forcing foreign firms to hand over technology that was used to improve military capacity
- Chinese analysts insist country is still lagging behind US in many areas
China has described a Pentagon report that accused it of using forced technology transfers to bolster its military capabilities as “extremely unprofessional and absurd”.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the comments after the publication of the report by the US Defence Intelligence Agency on Tuesday, but did not specify which aspects of the report she was referring to.
The 140-page report, published by the external intelligence service of the US government, stated: “[Chinese] laws forced foreign partners of Chinese-based joint ventures to release their technology in exchange for entry into China’s lucrative market, and China has used other means to secure needed technology and expertise.”
The report added that this had brought the People’s Liberation Army to the verge of fielding some of the most modern weapon systems in the world, adding: “In some areas, it already leads the world.”
These accusations came amid increasing US-China tensions on both the military and economic fronts.