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1、 美国时代杂志新闻期刊 Is Chinas Military a Threat? Monday, Mar. 05, 2007， By BILL POWELL/SHANGHAI Everything seemed to have been going well last year. In May 2006, Admiral William J. Fallon, then combatant commander for U.S. forces in the Pacific (CINCPAC) and now the chief overseeing the more fraught theater
2、 that includes both Iraq and Afghanistan visited four cities during an official tour of China that was, at its core, an open invitation for Beijing to emerge from the secrecy that shrouds much of its military planning and spending. The incentive for China? To sit down, U.S. officials later said, wit
3、h counterparts in the Pentagon and be treated not as an enemy, but as a rising power with valid interests in the Pacific and beyond. After the visit, Chinas foreign ministry spokesman said, “military ties between the two countries are facing a precious opportunity of development,“ and at a meeting i
4、n Beijings defense ministry, the deputy chief of the General Staff, Ge Zhenfeng, told Fallon that the two militaries needed to stop viewing each other “though the lens of ignorance and suspicion.“ Less than a year later, that “precious opportunity“ may be at risk, because whatever impetus the Fallon
5、 visit gave toward banishing “ignorance and suspicion“ is plainly dissipating. Two months ago, China for the first time tested successfully an anti-satellite missile, but then was mum about it publicly for almost two weeks, despite being pressed for information by not only Washington but Moscow, Tok
6、yo and several other foreign governments. The relatively long delay in any official comment from Beijing even fueled speculation as to whether Chinas civilian leadership was aware of the test before it happened. Then, yesterday in Beijing, China took the occasion of a visit from the U.S. State Depar
7、tments new point man for Sino-U.S. relations just confirmed Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte to reveal that its defense spending in the forthcoming year would rise by nearly 18%, to almost $45 billion, the biggest increase in five years, and a larger increase than U.S. defense officials had
8、 anticipated. The U.S. believes that a straightforward accounting of total military expenditures including new equipment purchases, which Beijing does not include in its report of annual defense spending would amount to $150 billion. The amount the U.S. spends on defense, of course, dwarfs that sum.
9、 The Pentagon will get a projected $620 billion in 2008. Even Japan spends considerably more than China. And most defense planners in the U.S. still believe the primary strategic objective for Chinas defense spending is to deter the U.S. from intervening in any crisis over Taiwan. But its not really
10、 the numbers that matter here; its the lack of information behind the numbers. Whether it was Chinas intention or not, Negroponte clearly felt sandbagged as he left Beijing. And, together with the anti-satellite missile, that makes it twice in three months that U.S. officials have felt that way. “It
11、s important in our dialogue that we understand what Chinas plans and intentions are,“ Negroponte said at a Sunday press conference before heading home. Its true that the U.S. continues to participate in periodic, lower-level meetings between Pentagon and Defense Ministry officials (the so-called Def
12、ense Consultative talks). But while he was CINCPAC commander, Admiral Fallon took some heat from critics in the U.S. who feel he was way too solicitous of his counterparts in Beijing, who some defense analysts believe remain overtly hostile to the Pentagon and its huge presence in East Asia. Unfortu
13、nately for Beijing, its game of hide the bacon in the last three months gives those critics more ammunition than they had before. 第 1 页 共 23 页 美国时代杂志新闻期刊 Mixing Wine and Beer on the NASCAR Circuit Monday, Mar. 05, 2007，By STACIE STUKIN/LOS ANGELES At NASCARs season kick-off in Daytona, Fla., a coupl
14、e of weeks ago, a new breed of fan eschewed tents and parked their six-figure luxury R-Vs adjacent to Daytona International Speedway. At the airport, over 500 private jets touched down to deliver more fans, among them Fortune 500 CEOs and team owners like Richard Childress, who spent their time in s
15、uites and luxury trailers. But the most telling sign that NASCAR is outgrowing its good ole boy, moonshine-running roots were the spectators in the Nextel Fan Zone, who didnt hesitate to plunk down $50 a bottle for a limited edition commemorative cabernet merlot etched with a Daytona Speedway logo.
16、If the notion of NASCAR as a luxury destination seems far-fetched, you obviously havent attended a race recently. A new Nielsen Sports survey shows wine consumption among NASCAR fans is up 22% from last year. Fans can now buy wine in the grandstands, and this year tracks are offering special wine programs tastings at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, an exclusive lounge at Phoenix International Raceway where anywh
