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Pentagon Report Says Over 900 Chinese Missiles Aimed At Taiwan
RTTNews (excerpt) ^ | January 22, 2007

Posted on 01/22/2007 8:59:19 PM PST by HAL9000

Internal Pentagon documents in the US has revealed that China has deployed more than 900 ballistic missiles against rival Taiwan that could obliterate the island's air force in the event of a war breaking out with mainland China.

The missiles had ranges of 300 to 600 miles and the number deployed against the island kept on increasing, the United Daily News said citing an unnamed US intelligence source.

Taiwan's three US-made Patriot anti-missile batteries which comprises of some 200 anti-missile weapons, would be insufficient against an intensive Chinese bombardment, unidentified Taiwanese defense ministry officials told the newspaper.

Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian said in July last year that China's People's Liberation Army had aimed 784 ballistic and 36 cruise missiles at the island with the number rising by 120 per year, he added.

The missiles could paralyze Taiwan's communications, transportation and command centers in a 10-hour bombardment, Taiwan's defense ministry says.



TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: china; taiwan
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1 posted on 01/22/2007 8:59:20 PM PST by HAL9000
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To: HAL9000

Perhaps Taiwan needs to outfit it Air Force with a few VSTOL fighter squadrons.


2 posted on 01/22/2007 9:02:16 PM PST by fso301
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To: HAL9000

taiwan is toast and theres nothing the us navy can do about it.


3 posted on 01/22/2007 9:02:23 PM PST by zarf
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To: zarf

Not if they can get hold of a few nukes. China loves Beijing, Shanghai more than it hates Taiwan.


4 posted on 01/22/2007 9:07:40 PM PST by CarrotAndStick (The articles posted by me needn't necessarily reflect my opinion.)
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To: HAL9000

What is the point of this? If they shoot 600 missiles at Taiwan none of the things they want it for will be left. The vibrant economy and the energetic, creative, entrepreneurial people will be gone. They'll just have a smoking rock left. And presumably they already have enough real estate. So why destroy something just for the hell of it?

On second thought, maybe "hell" is the operative word here.


5 posted on 01/22/2007 9:08:24 PM PST by Fairview
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To: HAL9000
Internal Pentagon documents

Yawn, everyone here knows how accurate the pentagon is, just as soon as they fix Iraq I'll listen, But so far they have just been plan wrong on so much.

6 posted on 01/22/2007 9:09:43 PM PST by org.whodat (Never let the facts get in the way of a good assumption.)
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To: Fairview
What is the point of this? If they shoot 600 missiles at Taiwan none of the things they want it for will be left. The vibrant economy and the energetic, creative, entrepreneurial people will be gone.

Ummm...they're not going to be nuking them.

There's something about Taiwan that just causes people to lose any concept of military reality or reason or history.

The combined explosive power of those 600 missles would be less than that of ONE medium-small US bombing raid over Germany - it wouldn't end Taiwan as a functioning society in any way, shape, or form.

7 posted on 01/22/2007 9:14:25 PM PST by Strategerist
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To: HAL9000

It is typical commie intimidation technique. Absolute power and control is the heart of it all --- typical commie doctrine. Hard to say what power-mad pikos will do to keep thier paranoia under control.

If we get a socialist in the White House, China will have its way with Taiwan because they know that the gutless socialists will do nothing to back up Taiwan.


8 posted on 01/22/2007 9:15:14 PM PST by EagleUSA
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To: zarf
taiwan is toast and theres nothing the us navy can do about it.

This is what I'm talking about when I've noted the silly overrating of the PRC military is so extreme it's actually leading to defeatism.

9 posted on 01/22/2007 9:15:39 PM PST by Strategerist
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To: Strategerist

Yes but its gonna hurt.


10 posted on 01/22/2007 9:23:17 PM PST by samadams2000 (Someone important make......The Call!)
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To: HAL9000

"Pity the fool."
- Mr. T.


11 posted on 01/22/2007 9:25:09 PM PST by quantim (Carcinoma Senatorus = Incurable cancer causing senators to think they're Presidential material.)
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To: Strategerist

If the chinese missiles have good guidance systems, they could do more damage than tens of thousands of bombing sorties from WW II.


12 posted on 01/22/2007 9:35:24 PM PST by Eternal_Bear
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To: Eternal_Bear

The Chicom missiles do have good guidance systems, and they will more than likely be aimed at big, boxy aircraft carriers than the Taiwanese mainland.


13 posted on 01/22/2007 9:39:24 PM PST by Kevmo (Darn, if only I had signed up 4 days earlier, I'd have a 3-digit Freeper #)
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To: HAL9000
How many of those are empty 8 meter long soft drink bottles made from melted down credit cards? Long live the glorious People's Liberation Air Force and its technological wizards! The ones who brought us the world's most advanced Mig-19!

If we really want to be mean to the Chinese Communists, we should sell them a demilitarized nuclear aircraft carrier. They'd go broke trying to make it work.

14 posted on 01/22/2007 9:39:38 PM PST by Thud
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To: Eternal_Bear

They probably do...remember they hit an orbiting satellite with a missile a few days ago. It was a 1-metre-square window target.


15 posted on 01/22/2007 9:39:49 PM PST by CarrotAndStick (The articles posted by me needn't necessarily reflect my opinion.)
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To: HAL9000
Hmm...having been there on a number of occasions, I have to suggest gently that Taiwan is a bit bigger than a lot of people appear to think and that although 900 conventional missiles seems like a lot I don't think they'll be enough by themselves, even well-targeted.

Could they suppress defenses prior to an invasion? Of course. What will the Taiwan Chinese do in reply? Well, that depends on what they can get their hands on. North Korean nukes? Don't think China isn't sweating that.

Ultimately if China wants Taiwan back badly enough to risk some of her cities then it could happen. The disparities in size and resources between the two are such that it couldn't end any other way. And so the Taiwanese strategy is to make it insupportably expensive, and that shouts a nuclear strategy. It already may be too late to stop that but Chinese provocation won't help at all.

16 posted on 01/22/2007 9:55:19 PM PST by Billthedrill
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To: Fairview

"What is the point of this? If they shoot 600 missiles at
Taiwan none of the things they want it for will be left. The vibrant economy and the energetic, creative, entrepreneurial people will be gone. They'll just have a smoking rock left. And presumably they already have enough real estate. So why destroy something just for the hell of it?

On second thought, maybe "hell" is the operative word here.
"


Eliminating a competitor ??

Eliminating a threat to their 'honor' ???

Revenge against the Chinese Nationalists who fought them for years and survived for many decades longer as a bigger success??




The US should state clearly that if Red China attacks Taiwan it will obliterate China with Nukes.




17 posted on 01/22/2007 11:28:08 PM PST by wodinoneeye
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To: Strategerist
"The combined explosive power of those 600 missles would be less than that of ONE medium-small US bombing raid over Germany - it wouldn't end Taiwan as a functioning society in any way, shape, or form."


You need to bring your understanding into the 21st century.

Smart/accurate weapons do the work of 30X as many dumb bombs (only 2% of the bombs dropped in WW2 hit their targets...).

Think:
Cluster ordinance
Pinpoint accuracy (GPS guided warheads)
FuelAir warheads

Now also consider that if anti-missile, AA, C&C&C, power and radar facilities are knocked out, that leaves all of Taiwan open to attacks by the rest of the mass of conventional weapons that the Chinese have been building for that purpose.
18 posted on 01/22/2007 11:35:43 PM PST by wodinoneeye
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To: All
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21105993-5003402,00.html

China confirms anti-satellite test

From correspondents in Beijing

January 23, 2007 05:15pm

CHINA said today that it held an anti-satellite test, confirming earlier claims from Washington.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao confirmed at a news conference that the country had conducted the test.

China had repeatedly refused to publicly say whether it knocked one of its own ageing satellites out of the skies with a missile, in what Washington officials last week criticised as a provocative escalation of military competition in outer space.

Last week, Australian expressed concerns about the test, along with the US, Canada and Japan.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australia was opposed to the militarisation of space

“We had some concerns if China had been firing missiles into space to destroy satellites that this would cut cross the long standing commitment of many countries to ensure that space is not militarised,” Downer said during a visit to New York.

China's ambassador to Australia, Madame Fu Ying, was called to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) last Tuesday for a meeting with deputy secretary Peter Grey.

Madame Fu undertook to get further information from Beijing.

A US State Department spokesman said in Washington yesterday that Chinese officials had acknowledged the test when they met US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill in Beijing over the weekend.

19 posted on 01/22/2007 11:41:53 PM PST by Fitzcarraldo
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To: wodinoneeye

"The US should state clearly that if Red China attacks Taiwan it will obliterate China with Nukes."

Ok, we say that. Then Hillary wins in 08.

Better yet, what we should do is move every one of our companies that use China for manufacturing purposes to Mexico. Then send the illegals home to work in those companies.

Oh, give Taiwan a couple of older Ohio Class subs, missiles still in them.


20 posted on 01/23/2007 3:11:13 AM PST by EQAndyBuzz
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