WASHINGTON, July 20: The White House on Wednesday distanced itself from a Pentagon report which warned that China’s increasingly powerful military is a potential threat to other Asian countries, including India and Japan, and to US military presence in the Pacific.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan, when asked to comment on the Pentagon report at a regular briefing, said the US does not consider China a threat. “We’re committed to peace and stability in the region, but that should not be viewed as us viewing China as a threat,” he said.

“We’re looking to move forward in a constructive and cooperative way with China, and we certainly have a very open and candid discussion with China on many issues,” he said, adding: “We do have concerns about the size and pace of China military modernization, and it’s important for us to pay close attention to it.”

Pentagon’s annual assessment of Chinese military power was released a day after the US and India signed an agreement to grant “the same benefits and advantages” to India that are given to other states “with advanced nuclear technology” even though New Delhi has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

China has angrily denounced the report. On Wednesday, China summoned the acting US ambassador to the ministry of foreign affairs to express Beijing’s “strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition” to the Pentagon report.

The Pentagon claimed that China was improving and expanding its nuclear arsenal, fielding more advanced nuclear missiles capable of striking India, Russia and “virtually all of the United States.”

The report had earlier been delayed by the US State Department which tried to soften its contents. The department feared that its release could harm US efforts to seek China’s support for the de-nuclearization of North Korea.

Although the report acknowledges that China’s ability to “project conventional military power beyond its periphery remains limited,” it warns that Beijing is trying to acquire the means to wage war against Taiwan, over which China claims sovereignty. China is also building up its military might to deter other countries from intervening if Beijing launches a military strike against Taiwan, the report said.

Armed with an increasingly potent People’s Liberation Army, Chinese leaders might be tempted to resort to force more quickly to resolve disputes with its neighbours, the report said. “Over the long term, if trends persist, PLA capabilities could pose a credible threat to other modern militaries in the region,” it said.

Military observers in Washington say that the Pentagon report may have helped convince President Bush not to oppose India’s efforts to acquire civilian nuclear technology from the US without giving up its nuclear arsenal.

In contrast to previous reports, this year’s report places heavier emphasis on the threat posed by the modernization of the People’s Liberation Army to other regional powers beyond Taiwan, including India, and to US forces in Asia, as well as to the continental United States.

The report says that China is at a strategic crossroads, and choices made by Beijing will have significant implications not just for Sino-US relations, but also for the Asia-Pacific region - indeed for the whole world.