Washington ? In a sobering new assessment, the Pentagon says China’s military modernization threatens Taiwan and contradicts Beijing’s stated desire for a peaceful resolution of the dispute over reunification.

“The Chinese doctrine is moving toward the goal of surprise, deception and shock effect in the opening phase of a (military) campaign,” the Pentagon asserted in a report to Congress submitted Friday.

Chinese soldiers exercise at the People's Liberation Army's 196 Brigade camp in the suburbs of Tianjin, southeast of Beijing. The Pentagon said Friday that China's military strength was a threat to Taiwan.

“China is exploring coercive strategies designed to bring Taipei to terms quickly,” it said.

One of the most troubling developments is China’s buildup of short-range ballistic missiles in Fujian province, opposite Taiwan, the report said. They now total about 350 missiles and are gaining in accuracy and deadliness.

China also is developing variants of the mobile CSS-6 missile that would pose a threat to the Japanese island of Okinawa, where thousands of American forces are based, including those at Kadena Air Base, the report said.

More broadly, the Chinese military’s increasing ability to exercise what the Pentagon calls coercive military options, including computer hacking and air and missile attacks, “presents challenges not only to Taiwan but also to other potential adversaries, such as the Philippines and Japan,” it said.

Another problem area is China’s recent acquisition of Russian-made submarines, which could be used to cut off Taiwan’s sea lanes.

The report said Beijing’s main objective in any Taiwan crisis probably would be to compel the government in Taipei to settle on terms favorable to Beijing and to undertake military action quickly enough to preclude U.S. intervention.

“A coercive campaign may seek to deter or punish Taiwan through the sudden application of violence,” the report said.

Taiwan split from the mainland in 1949 after the Nationalist Chinese leaders fled there in the closing days of the communists’ victorious revolution on the mainland. Beijing considers Taiwan a renegade province and has threatened to retake the island by force if necessary. U.S. policy is to help Taiwan maintain a defense capability, but Washington does not favor Taiwanese independence.