DOD: China on the mind?

A very interesting exchange took place during the confirmation hearing of Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Seems that despite the low level of attention the China Threat gets in popular press, it's still front and center on some congressional minds. A small blip of the hearing is provided below:

Reported by the WASHINGTON POST:

INHOFE: But I am concerned about China, and I'd like to hear what your thoughts are. Just in the last month the Chinese hackers, as you, I'm sure, have read, have shut down the e-mail and official computer work at the Naval War College. This is referred to by this commission as the Titan Rain.

In September, the Department of Commerce experienced a massive shutdown of its computer system.

This goes on and on. In July, the State Department acknowledged that Chinese attacks had broken into systems overseas and in Washington. Recently, China has used lasers to blind our satellites.

On October 26th, a Song-class Chinese submarine surfaced near the USS Kitty Hawk. They'd be following them undetected for a long period of time.

I've had occasion to spend quite a bit of time in Africa, and I noticed that China's presence in Africa, particularly in those states around the Sea of Guinea and where they have great oil reserves, is there, and they are way ahead of us. It happens that China and the United States are the two countries that depend on foreign sources of oil more than any of the other countries.
GATES: Yes, sir. I have not read the reports.

INHOFE: And I would also say that we watched this as we were drawing down in the 1990s. They increased their military procurement by over 1,000 percent.

INHOFE: So this is a great concern.
Go ahead.

GATES: Yes, sir. I have not read the reports. I would be more than willing to do so. I've been aware, just from reading in the newspapers, it's been a number of years since I received any classified intelligence on what the Chinese were up to.

But it's been my impression that they've had a very aggressive intelligence-gathering effort against the United States.