the three target citys are the heart of china's industry. anything elsee is just wasted...
Posted on 03/06/2007 5:05:19 AM PST by IrishMike
Taipei - Taiwan has test-fired missiles capable of hitting major economic centres of rival China, local news media reported Tuesday, amid a new tension across the Taiwan Strait. Military-funded Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology test-fired the local-made Hsiung Feng 2E, which has a range of up to 1,000 kilometres, last month, Taipei-based United Daily News reported.
Quoting an unnamed institute source, the paper said the missile is able to hit Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Shanghai - the economic centres of China in the south and central parts of the mainland.
It said President Chen Shui-bian inspected the test-firing along with Defence Minister Lee Jye.
The defence ministry, however, declined to comment on the report. The institute also refused to confirm whether it had test-fired the missile or not.
But parliamentarians of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said it explained why Chen was bold enough to say that Taiwan must declare independence.
They said the fact that Taiwan is capable of producing missiles that can threaten China has given Chen a strong boost.
Taiwan and China split at the end of a civil war in 1949, but Beijing still regards the island an integral part of the mainland. It has repeatedly warned that if Taiwan ever declares independence officially, it will send forces to attack the island.
............ The comments prompted Beijing to lash out at Chen. Washington, an informal ally of Taiwan and arms supplier for the island, also demanded that Chen keep his previous promises to refrain from further escalating cross-strait tensions.
David Wang, spokesman of Taiwan's foreign ministry, Tuesday said he had no idea about the test-fire issue, but stressed Taiwan must have adequate defence capability to safeguard itself in the face of rapid military buildup of China.
(Excerpt) Read more at earthtimes.org ...
Never in the history of warfare have you needed to be on equal footing to win. Terrain, politics, tactics and technology can deny great powers what should be a simple victory.
A porcupine doesn't need to be on equal footing with a wolf to be left alone.
Cheers, Taiwan. Just don't test fire your whole arsenal.
http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&langpair=ar%7Cen&u=http://www.islammemo.cc/article1.aspx%3Fid%3D35825
Considering that Israel, South Africa, and Taiwan pooled their resources and developed nuclear arms together... I'd say about negative twenty years.
Appreciated. You have no need to apologize.
Doesn't have to be on an equal footing - they just have to have enough forces to sink Chinese transports in the Strait, and shoot down all the Chinese aircraft that can fly that far.
According to other freepers, Uighurs in Xinjiang (East Turkmenistan) can be pretty violent.
If Taiwan announced openly, or, more likely, through back channels, that they had numerous nukes and the means of delivering them, and the will to deliver them, the PRC would continue to bluster, but any true plans to invade Taiwan would be off.
Armed Freedom: triumphant in war and peace!
If they can't conquer Taiwan, they could still sterilize the island with nuclear missiles launched from the mainland. (Though they seem partial to foreign opinion--and the genocide of 22 million people would definitely make them look bad).
Very interesting. Not long after Chen's "declaration" of independence.
Public opinion is probably why Taiwan is going now - Beijing is occupied by the 08 Olympics, and doesn't want to do anything to jeopardize that.
I think it's a great idea, as far as timing goes.
The other reason that Taiwan hasn't been crushed before now is because China knows that Taiwan is a small nuclear power. And, as Tom Clancy puts it, it doesn't take much for the Taiwanese to stick their B61 equivalents on their F-16s and one-way them to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.
oops!
I guess China should have reigned in North Korea a little faster.
Now we have to acknowledge the inevitability of prolif.
Good luck China against nuclear Taiwan, nuclear Japan and nuclear South Korea-- NOT!
Very wise. Sounds like something from Aseop's Fables or The Art of War. I think I've found a new tag line.
Won't need to. The could go biological! Wipe out 1000 times more people seeing how China will exterminate them all with their nukes.
"This in the near term could have significant impact in regional stability, and adversely effect world economic markets.
Things are going to get very, very interesting."
I am predicting a repeating of WWII history with China attacking Taiwan on year after the Bejjing Olympics. North Korea will attack the South at the same time and this war will accelerate into all out global conflict including Russia. By 2009 China will have seven nuclear submaries and enough destroyer, air, missle support to defy us in the pacific, attack and destroy Taiwan cut off reinforcements of South Korea etc.
Also, Russia has begun it's military reorganization with massive petrol dollars. The last of the commies will ignite WWIII to be the last superpower. Why this is so dangerous is Russia has it's own energy and we don't. The old commies under Putin are on their recent pride kick to restart the "motherland" and is dangerous enough to launch nukes to take us out. We'll be largely energy independant in the next decade and know we have an achilles heel until that point. The old commies will die off but they'll ignite the flame before they pass, the foolish bastards.
"I wonder how long it would take Taiwan to go nuclear. Two years, tops?"
One Ohio class sub fully loaded should do the trick.
There are two main pretexts that would resulting in a Chinese invasion.
1) Declaration of Independence by Taiwan
2) The discovery of nuclear arms on Taiwanese soil.
Since China has not made its move, this could mean that Taiwan does not have a program or it is being kept very secret.
the three target citys are the heart of china's industry. anything elsee is just wasted...
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