China aims to challenge U.S. air dominance: Pentagon

China is mounting a serious effort to challenge US military superiority in air and space, forcing the Pentagon to seek new technologies and systems to stay ahead of its rapidly developing rival, Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work said on June 22. 

The Pentagon's chief operating officer, speaking to a group of military and civilian aerospace experts, said China was "quickly closing the technological gaps," developing radar-evading aircraft, advanced reconnaissance planes, sophisticated missiles and top-notch electronic warfare equipment. 

While hoping for a constructive relationship with China, the Pentagon "cannot overlook the competitive aspects of our relationship, especially in the realm of military capabilities, an area in which China continues to improve at a very impressive rate," he said. 

China's state-run news agency Xinhua late on Monday cited Xu Qiliang, a vice chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission, as saying China must innovate even more. 

"Our military's equipment construction is shifting from catch-up research to independent innovations," Xu said. 

Work made his remarks to the inaugural conference of the China Aerospace Studies Initiative, a partnership of the US Air Force and the RAND Corporation think tank. The initiative aims to boost US research on China's aerospace ambitions. 

The conference came as hundreds of Chinese officials were in Washington for the three-day US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, wide-ranging talks that look at areas of mutual cooperation and address points of friction. 

Asked about the timing of the military conference, Work said US and Chinese leaders both see the bilateral relationship as one in which there are "measures of cooperation and...