China completes stealth fighter prototype

China appears to have completed a prototype of its first known stealth fighter, reports said Wednesday, highlighting Beijing\'s military modernisation days ahead of a visit by the US defence secretary.

Photographs published online and Chinese military sources cited by the Japanese media indicate a test model of the J-20 fighter has been finished, with taxi tests carried out last week at an airfield in southwestern China.

China plans to begin test flights of the J-20 as soon as this month, with plans to deploy the jet as early as 2017, Japan\'s Asahi Shimbun newspaper said, quoting Chinese military sources.

The fighter will be equipped with large missiles and could reach Guam with aerial refuelling, although it would take 10 to 15 more years to develop technology on a par with that of the US F-22 stealth jet, it said.

"While strengthening efforts to advance to the open ocean, the Chinese military is rapidly proceeding with modernisation of its air force," the Asahi Shimbun said. "The move may affect the military balance in East Asia."

In late 2009, the deputy head of China\'s air force, General He Weirong, said the country\'s stealth fighter would be operational sometime between 2017 and 2019, reports said.

Officials at China\'s defence ministry declined immediate comment when contacted by AFP about the reports.

The United States is currently the only country with an operational next-generation stealth fighter -- the F-22. In January 2010, Russia unveiled a new aircraft touted as a rival to the US jet, developed by Sukhoi.

The report came days before US Defence Secretary Robert Gates heads to Bejiing, one year after Beijing snapped off military relations with Washington in protest against a multibillion-dollar US arms package for rival Taiwan.

The two nations have already resumed military contacts at a technical level.

China\'s massive annual military spending has aroused concern among its neighbours. Japan last month labelled Beijing\'s military build-up a global "concern", citing its increased assertiveness in the East and South China Seas.

US military officials and strategists meanwhile see Beijing as a potential threat to Washington\'s once unrivalled dominance of the Pacific.

China has repeatedly insisted its military growth does not pose any threat.

Defence Minister Liang Guanglie said last week that China was currently beefing up its navy, air force and strategic missile forces, while decreasing its ground forces.

According to defence industry publication Aviation Week, the J-20 is larger than observers expected -- suggesting a long-range capacity and the ability to carry heavy weapons loads.