In Asia, new submarines, stealthy fighterplanes and improved electronic warfare systems "will provide our forces with freedom of maneuver" even when access is threatened, Mr. Panetta said.
"China is entirely capable of producing the weaponry needed for national defense, " spokesman Geng Yansheng told reports at a monthly briefing, pointing to recent domestic technological breakthroughs such as the country's first aircraft carrier, new generation fighter jets, large transport planes and the Beidou satellite system.