Posted on 09/30/2004 6:35:28 AM PDT by engineer506
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese Communist Party chief and President Hu Jintao has urged the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to prepare for a military struggle, but stopped short of singling out rival Taiwan as the target. Many security analysts see the Taiwan Strait as the most dangerous flashpoint in Asia. China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has threatened to attack if the democratic island of 23 million people declares independence.
Hu, who assumed the role of military chief less than two weeks ago, told the 2.5-million-strong PLA to "seize the moment and do a good job of preparing for a military struggle," the People's Daily and the Liberation Army Daily said on Thursday.
Hu did not say against whom the struggle might be fought.
But on Wednesday, a spokesman for China's policymaking Taiwan Affairs Office accused Taiwan Premier Yu Shyi-kun of clamoring for war with threats to fire missiles at Shanghai if the PLA attacked the self-ruled island.
Taiwan needed a counter-strike capability, Yu said in defense of plans to buy T$610.8 billion (US$18.2 billion) worth of weapons from the United States.
He made the remarks hours before thousands of people took to the streets of Taipei on Saturday to demand the government scrap the weapons package they said would trigger an arms race with China and squeeze social welfare and state spending on education.
Tension between China and Taiwan has been simmering since the re-election in March of the island's President Chen Shui-bian, who Beijing is convinced will push for statehood during his second four-year term.
Beijing and Taipei have been rivals since their split at the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, but trade, investment and tourism have blossomed since detente in the late 1980s.
Hu also urged the PLA, the world's biggest army, to "comprehensively revolutionize, modernize and standardize," newspapers said. No details were given.
Hu, 61, replaced Jiang Zemin, 78, as chairman of the Central Military Commission on Sept. 19, completing the most orderly leadership succession in the 55 years since the Communist Party took power.
The following day he promoted two senior officers in a move that was likely to help consolidate his position in the PLA.
China needs to be stopped here and now. When they took over Tibet the world sat silent. That cannot be allowed to happen again.
We'll never go to war over Taiwan. China is too powerful; our resolve would never be strong enough to see this through. The casualties would be enormous, and a draft would probably be required. I think it's only a matter of time before China passes us in military strength, and since they are a facist state, they don't have to worry about the media stopping them from using it. The best we can do for Taiwan is give them weapons and hope they can do alright for themselves.
All we would have to do is stop an invasion over the Taiwan Strait, which is a lot wider than the Yalu river.
Unless mistakes are made, it wouldn't be a land war, so wouldn't be a repeat of Korea.
Count the days until Japan rearms.
Every army should be prepared for war, zipadee doo daa.
Read later.
"Every army except ours of course. We keep a military just for posterity. Any use of our military is a crime against humanity."
Yes, because some soldiers in Iraq made terrorists form naked pyramids, we are morally equivalent to Saddam Hussein. Thank you Teddy "God I Am So Hungover Right Now" Kennedy for pointing this out.
Amphibious & airborne operations a fraught with uncertainty. China is attempting a 3-prong strategy:
1. Create an overwelding bombardment that would quite literally flatten the Island. This goal has been largely achieved.
2. Make it clear to the business & political elites on Taiwan that they will be flattened if any move toward independence is made. The PRC may be able to threaten & cajole the populace of the islands into seeing it Beijing's way at some point -- who knows?
3. Finally, convince the US that it would be too costly to intervene should it come to war. Right now the Taiwan Strait would look like the Iron Man Triatholon swim if the PRC attempted to cross against 7th Fleet opposition. Question is: are we prepared to risk the loss an aircraft carrier in the process?
Why does the U.S. continue to give china MFN trade status? I'd venture to say its their military that benefits from this policy and not the average joe. They're a bunch of stinkin' commies anyway.
It was, but I wish Bush would revoke it.
And there are other gains China could make without having to risk a cross-channel operation. Taiwan is not the only juicy target they can try to gobble up.
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