From AP via the New York Times:
Top U.S. officials are criticizing what they call China’s indiscriminate sale of weapons to rogue countries, suggesting that Beijing’s shortsighted policies has had made the world more dangerous.
Peter Rodman, assistant secretary of defense for international security, urged China to re-evaluate its relationship with Iran and North Korea, two countries with which the United States is locked in tense nuclear standoffs.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang called the criticism “groundless and irresponsible,” the official Xinhua News Agency said Friday. No other details were given. [Full Text]
See also BBC News’ Buyers line up for China’s arms:
China may have lost its reputation for making low-cost goods, but when it comes to weapons, there is no doubt which end of the market its sights are still set on.
Some of the poorest and most unsavoury regimes on earth, which either cannot afford or are not allowed to buy sophisticated Western arms, are turning to the world’s newest superpower to buy guns, leg-irons, anti-riot equipment and armoured vehicles.
