"There is no doubt that we have concerns about the size and pace of the Chinese military buildup and it's not just the Pentagon. I've made clear to people this is a view held by the US government," Rice told reporters.

"This does not mean that we view China as 'a threat'," she said after meeting with Chinese officials on the first leg of a four-nation Asia tour.

"We just take note of the fact that there is a significant military buildup going on, ... that we have concerns about the military balance and of course that the United States continues to modernize its own forces so that we can continue to be a force for stability and peace in this region."

Rice said she raised the issue of the impact of China's military buildup on the regional military balance during meetings with Chinese leaders.

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warned earlier this year that China was spending considerably more on its military than officially acknowledged and asked why it had so many missiles aimed at Taiwan. The United States is bound by US law to help defend Taiwan.

China considers Taiwan part of its territory awaiting reunification and has threatened to retake it by force if it moves towards formal independence. The island has ruled itself since splitting from the mainland after a civil war in

Taiwan's defense ministry says China has deployed at least 700 ballistic missiles along its southeastern coast just opposite the island, and the number could rise to 800 before the end of 2006.

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