The primary focus of China's missiles, Sedney said, is Taiwan.
David Helvey, one of Sedney's deputies, said China also has purchased highly accurate cruise missiles from Russia that have been installed on Chinese submarines and could be used against U.S. Navy vessels.
But Helvey said the ability to strike ships will depend on China's intelligence and surveillance abilities.
"This is still a new capability for China; we are going to be watching how they integrate that anti-ship capability into their submarine force," he said.
In response to the Pentagon report, Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he was concerned about China's continuing modernization and rapid growth.
But he said there were signs that China was taking some steps toward increasing transparency, including an agreement to submit a report to the United Nations on its military spending and an agreement to create a defense hotline between Washington and Beijing.
--
julian.barnes@latimes.com
Times staff writer Ching-Ching Ni in Beijing contributed to this report.
