Posted on 03/26/2010 7:51:36 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
The top commander of US military forces in the Pacific on Thursday confirmed reports that the Chinese army has been upgrading and deploying larger numbers of missiles across the Taiwan Strait.
“The PLA has focused considerable effort on building up its integrated air defense capabilities and has deployed an increasing number of upgraded Russian SA-20 PMU 2 along the Taiwan Strait,” Admiral Robert Willard said, confirming earlier reports by a Canadian defense magazine that said China has deployed eight battalions of advanced missile systems in Fujian Province.
Willard also said that Taiwan must someday improve upon its existing fighter jets to keep pace with China’s increasing air power.
Some of China’s other military modernization programs highlighted by Willard’s testimony to the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee include the development of sophisticated shipboard air defense systems as well as supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles.
Yesterday, media reports in Washington said that some US officials are insisting that China’s buildup of both conventional and nuclear forces is aimed solely at possible conflict with Taiwan.
China’s military forces have also been developing a new submarine-launched nuclear ballistic missile capable of reaching the Western US and aims to deploy its own aircraft carrier by 2012, Willard said.
“The PLA’s continued military advancements sustain a trend of shifting the cross-strait military balance in Beijing’s favor,” Willard said. “China continues to develop weapons systems, technologies and concepts of operation that support anti-access and area denial strategies in the [Asia-Pacific] region.”
In response, Ministry of National Defense (MND) spokesperson Yu Sy-tue said yesterday that the military would continue to monitor such developments and added that it would take “appropriate measures” when necessary, without elaborating.
The comments come after the Taiwanese government has consistently pushed the US to supply it with 66 advanced F-16C/D fighters, an upgrade of its current inventory of F-16A/B fighters.
The jets were not included as part of a US$6.4 billion arms sale announced by US President Obama in January and China has warned against any sales of new F-16s.
While Willard agreed that Taiwan would need to improve its own fighter jet capabilities to counter the fast-growing military imbalance with China, he declined to predict when the US might provide Taiwan with the new jets.
He later told reporters that a decision to sell Taiwan new F-16 jets must be determined by the entire US government.
The issue was underscored in December last year when a Pentagon report said that many of Taiwan’s 400 combat aircraft would not be available to help withstand an attack from China.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers on the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee told the Taipei Times that these new developments came as a “slap in the face” to President Ma Ying-jeou’s stance of building closer ties, including military confidence building measures with China.
“His China policies are a total failure,” said DPP Legislator Twu Shiing-jer. “Despite all Ma’s rhetoric about warming ties, China is continuing to increase the number of missiles across the Taiwan Strait, further showing that it doesn’t care at all about Taiwan’s interests.”
The president has insisted that China remove all missiles pointed at Taiwan before cross-strait peace talks can take place. One of Ma’s cornerstone policies has been an effort to reduce tensions across the Taiwan Strait, and in previous statements he has urged Beijing to remove its missiles, saying that they give Taiwanese, “a very bad feeling.”
If they want it — it is theirs. We are too busy placating homosexuals and woman.
Korea, Taiwan, and Israel may all be attacked at once. Obama will totally freeze.
If your China, now is the time to take Taiwan and in the process embarrass the idiot in the white house.
So nice of them to admit to what Bill Gertz discusses in infinite detail in “The China Threat” published 10 years ago.
Good Book
You forgot to add: Muslims.
Bambi will not lift a finger if Taiwan is attacked and overrun by the Chinese... The Chicoms have Bambi right where they want him... lashed to a debt barrel... about to go over the falls.
I’m sure the military elite are saying that this is completely unexpected.
The leaders of the world smell unprecedented weakness in the WH, and they’ll act accordingly.
Good point!!! Placating homosexuals, woman and Wahhabi moslems. Great observation!! I forgot.
A three front war
fyi
Obama will totally freeze.”
I think you’re wrong.
I think he will have a orgasm.
Wonder where I heard this before?
Why wouldn’t they take advantage of the arrogant lightweight occupying the white house? He kisses the ass of our enemies and stabs our friends in the back. The guy is a pathetic clown.
chicom bump for later
The FDR plan is tracking very well barry. WWII got FDR out of a lot of trouble and put a lot of men on the front lines and wimps and Rosie the Riveters building the war machine. Don’t forget the next step - Attempt to stack the Supreme Court.
Knock off all this “Now’s the time for China to take Taiwan” crap.
It’s messing up my surfing.
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