U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is telling America’s allies in Asia that we are watching China with an increasingly critical eye.

Last week in an op-ed published in Japan’s largest daily newspaper, Panetta said China is rapidly modernizing its military "with a troubling lack of transparency, coupled with increasingly assertive activity in the East and South China Seas."

Watching from Honolulu, Hawaii’s senior Sen. Daniel K. Inouye adds that China now has an aircraft carrier on a year-long shakedown cruise.

"Aircraft carriers are usually seen as power projectors," Inouye said in an interview. "Submarines are power projectors; anything that goes out from the usual area of control projects power."

Of course the U.S. has stationed seven of its 11 carriers in the Pacific.

Inouye called China’s action "defensive."

"It sends a message that they are ready to deter, they are ready to defend. Which is very important strategically," Inouye said.

As chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which approves military spending, Inouye previously cautioned that the U.S. needs to keep up its own military spending.

When the congressional debate on deficit reduction touched on cutting military programs this summer, Inouye warned in a statement, "We can only substantially cut these programs at our nation’s peril."

Regarding China’s own military intentions, Inouye, like Panetta, sees China’s interest in the South China Sea and the Spratly Islands, which are claimed by both China and Taiwan, as an area of concern.

Taiwan is also of concern. While Panetta praised China’s muted complaint regarding a recent $5.85 billion U.S. sale of arms to Taiwan, Inouye said that Taiwan is a constant irritant to China.

"The Chinese that I know historically are very patient people. They make a plan today and knowing it may not be finished in two years, it make take 300 years," Inouye said.

Adding that the bulk of Taiwanese investments are with mainland China and not the West, and that "most of the Chinese men who are sufficiently successful in white-collar jobs get their wives from China," it is expected that someday there will be a reunification.

"Don’t you think in 50 or 100 years it would normalize? It is a matter that can be resolved with patience," Inouye said.

But, Inouye adds, the U.S, China and Taiwan all "live in the real world" and today’s tensions are continuing.

"As far as the U.S. is concerned, we have to be prepared at all times; preparations are expensive.

"We provide funds and invest in programs praying that we never use them. Our programs are primarily deterrent. The message is if you hit us we are going to hit you back twice as hard," Inouye said.

All of this will be part of the backdrop to next month’s APEC meetings in Honolulu. Inouye called it a meeting of countries "that are not exactly blood brothers."

"People forget that Vietnam’s historic enemy has been China. It is not a matter of love, even if both countries are communist," Inouye said.

The role for Hawaii to play is of the genial host, who would like lots of return visits.

"This is Hawaii’s opportunity to convince APEC nations that this is a good site for high-level diplomatic meetings, and business meetings.

"This is the place they can be comfortable, they look around and see a mirror reflecting back — they all look alike," Inouye said, noting Hawaii’s cosmopolitan ethnic make-up.

"They would not feel as comfortable meeting in Austria," Inouye added.

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.