For instance:
US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld noted that "China is improving its ability to project power, and developing advanced systems of military technology".
What Rumsfeld didn't elaborate on was where China has acquired much of its military technology from and how "America's strategic partner" had violated several American laws on the export and third party transfer of critical military technologies.
Although Russian technology plays a part in its programmes, much of China's advanced technology has come from the Israelis, who have often sold their own technology or American technology that was given to them.
An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman put the 2004 trade volume with China at $2.4 billion, saying this did not include defence deals. Defence Ministry figures are not official, but Israel's Channel Two television said Israel sells China some $2.5 billion of satellite technology and arms per annum.
As a result, the US has recently embargoed new defence sales to Israel until it satisfactorily settles the dispute over unauthorised sales of technology to China. It has even threatened Israeli participation in the new Joint Strike Fighter being built by Lockheed Martin.
Although the US has occasionally stopped Israeli sales to China, like the Phalcon Airborne warning system, many sales have either been ignored or done secretly.
In many cases, like the sale of Patriot missile technology, the transfer had to be kept secret because Israel knew that the US would veto the sale.
From the Israeli point of view, a partnership with China is ideal. Israel has a small, advanced industrial base. Its technology rivals anything out of Europe or the US. However, the inefficiencies of staying on a wartime basis have made it small and
inefficient.
