Hong Kong, June 3 -- China has gone all-out to develop and expand the missile inventory of the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF). Unfortunately, the opaqueness of China's intentions - and its refusal to discuss why it is so dramatically increasing the number of missiles - is causing consternation in both Asia and around the world.

The discovery of two mysterious and sprawling new facilities - likely related to PLARF nuclear forces - in the remote northwest Chinese province of Xinjiang is only deepening those concerns.

In its annual Asia-Pacific Regional Security Assessment, released by the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) at the end of May, the authors stated: "The world is currently on the cusp of a new n...