China told the United States on Wednesday its first test-flight of a stealth fighter jet should not be seen as a threat

China confirmed it held its first test-flight of the J-20 stealth fighter jet on Tuesday, a show of muscle during a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates that sought to defuse military tensions between the two guess handbags powers.
The flight came against a backdrop of a massive Chinese military modernization program. China's plans to develop aircraft carriers, anti-satellite missiles and other advanced systems have alarmed neighboring countries and Washington.
The United States has been ... questioning whether China is targeting the U.S., to which China is replying implicitly and explicitly that it is fully equipped with high-tech weapons."
U.S. and Chinese defense-related ships have jostled in seas near China in past years, and in 2001 a mid-air collision between a U.S. surveillance plane and a Chinese air force fighter erupted into a diplomatic standoff.
China has always said its military modernization is needed to protect the country's development and interests, to maintain regional stability as well as to upgrade sometimes woefully outdated equipment.
"The People's Liberation Army has no ability and even more than that summer fashion trends , has no intention to challenge America's territory and global military advantage, and does not have any aims to pursue military hegemony in the region," wrote an unnamed rear-admiral from a top Chinese defense think-tank in a commentary for the overseas edition of the People's Daily.
THAT STEALTHY?
The J-20's test flight prompted some regional analysts to reassess China's military build-up, which includes possible deployment in 2011 of the country's first aircraft carrier and a new anti-ship ballistic missile seen as a threat to U.S. aircraft carriers.
Some have said the development of the J-20 is a strong indicator China is making faster-than-expected progress in developing a rival to Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor, the world's only operational stealth fighter designed to evade detection by enemy radar.
"If they are successful -- the stealth bomber might not be too stealthy, we have to find out -- it will definitely make it more difficult for United States carriers and long-range assets to operate in this region," said Narushige Michishita of Tokyo's National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies.
Some analysts said China's development of new military hardware did not mean China could effectively use its new assets or challenge the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific.
U.S. Vice Admiral David Dorsett, director of naval intelligence, has
power balance said deployment of the J-20 was years away.
Gates, after a visit to the arm of China's military which oversees its nuclear arsenal, sought to play down tensions between the two countries.
"I think the discussions were very productive and really set the stage for taking the military-to-military relationship to the next level," he said after three days of talks with Chinese military and civilian officials.