Posted on 06/02/2010 8:56:11 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Taiwan is to test a missile for the first time that could hit Beijing, a report said Wednesday.
The island's defence ministry immediately denied the report on the medium-range surface-to-surface missile, but said research was being carried out on "various weapons systems".
The missile, designed to hit targets up to 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles) away, will be launched Thursday and Friday from Chiupeng, a tightly-guarded base in southern Taiwan, Taipei-based Next Magazine said.
If successful, the weapons project codenamed "Ching Sheng" would move into mass production stage, according to the usually well-informed magazine.
The defence ministry plans to deploy 150 such missiles, on top of 240 existing cruise missiles, to form one of the island's main deterrents against Chinese attack, it said.
The medium-range missiles could also be used to strike other major Chinese cities like Shanghai and Chongqing as well as its ballistic missile bases in eastern and southeast China, it said.
"Research and development of various weapons systems have been carried out as scheduled," a defence ministry official told AFP, but added that "the content of the report is not true".
Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have eased significantly since President Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Kuomintang party came to power in 2008, pledging to boost trade links and allowing in more Chinese tourists.
Yet Beijing still refuses to renounce the use of force against Taiwan should it declare formal independence, prompting the island to seek more defensive weapons.
The island has governed itself since it split from the mainland in 1949 at the end of a civil war.
The magazine said China had boosted the number of its missiles aimed at the island from 300 in 2001 to 1,400 in 2008.
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Those missle will not mean a damn thing unless they are armed with a nuke.
I agree.
The best way Taiwan can defend itself?
Like the Swiss, send every soldier who has been released from duty home with his rifle.
As the Liberal dismantling of American strength, and solvency, moves along, more countries will conclude that they have to add nuclear weapons—with deterrent delivery systems. Obama’s foreign policy—a Frankenstein monster of Left-wing academic theory—is accelerating the process.
Absolutely. The whole point of the American “nuclear umbrella” was to discourage proliferation. If North Korea and Iran can develop the bomb you know Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and a host of other countries can easily do the same. Once doubt is cast on American resolve it’s only a question of time before a host of new “nuclear club” members spring up. How long such a situation can exist before an “accident” occurs is anyone’s guess, but it’s certainly not stable.
Pardon me, but you don’t suppose part of the reason our nations strength and solvency is eroding, is because we are SENDING ALL OUR FACTORIES TO CHINA?
Sheesh.
Wake up people. Republicans are every bit as sold out. America is sold out.
By the very people whose job it has been, to protect her.
Both parties have sold us down the river.
For what?
Walmart price roll-backs?
1. If Bush were Prez, would we be seeing this...?
2. What are the NEXT countries that will be doing this in the near future...?
3. Do US allies in Asia really BELIEVE the US will provide for their security in a conflict scenario
—>THERE WILL BE MUCH MORE OF THIS<—
” but you don’t suppose part of the reason our nations strength and solvency is eroding, is because we are SENDING ALL OUR FACTORIES TO CHINA?”
Um, no I don’t.
Let’s consider what happens when we send a single factory to China.
First of all, the Americans get fired.
Then the infrastructure moves. Along with it, the knowledge and technical capabilities. The fired Americans meanwhile are forgetting all the skills they used to have, because they were making American products.
The Chinese factory workers become ever more technically capable, and with their wages buy motorcycles, cars and apartments. On their breaks they go to the noodle shop next to the factory, and support the job of the xiao-jie, who sends some of her tip money to her parents in the provinces.
The American ‘workers’ go on unemployment, and become bitter. They contribute nothing to our economy, and get angry at the “free trade” Republicans who they see (with some justification) as having cost them their livelihood.
Many, who once voted for and supported Ronald Reagan, decide the democrats are correct about Republicans. And start to vote for liberals.
Repeat that process a thousand times, every week across America. For 20 years.
The result will be that Chinese workers will become competent, efficient and wealthy. Chinese factories will become the ‘arsenal of communism’. And Chinese companies will use their profits to buy intellectual property to completely take over what used to be American.
Front to back. Top to bottom.
Every month, we send more than 20 BILLION DOLLARS directly to China. Month after month.
For some perspective, a USN Aircraft Carrier costs about 5 billion. Do some simple math, our bone-headed trade policies are not only demolishing what was once our world-leading manufacturing base.
We’re also sending our next superpower rival, free of charge, the equivalent of one US Aircraft Carrier every WEEK.
Every single week.
We can’t even affort to buy new fighter jets. And we’re making China into the dragon of legend.
And it’s *our side*, which should understand the importance of geo politics such as wealth and manufacturing.
At the front of the giveaway line.
Handing our children’s future to history’s largest communist state.
It’s mind-boggling we continue to say and do nothing while this process destroys America as we have known it.
Don’t try to blame liberals.
Sure they’re making a mess of things. But it is the wrong-headed travesty called “free trade” which is leading to our national destruction.
Faster than most anyone thinks, at present trends.
—”Those missle will not mean a damn thing unless they are armed with a nuke.”
And you need at least 500 in your arsenal, China is too big, and China will not want to lose any war.
—”The best way Taiwan can defend itself?
Like the Swiss, send every soldier who has been released from duty home with his rifle.”
Against 5000 Chinese missiles?
I’m familiar with mercantilism—more fully in fact than your little sketch. It’s important historically, but for many reasons, anachronistic.
No it’s not.
History is repeating itself.
I read an interesting attribution on a blog today, not sure it’s reliable but if it is, it’s illustrative of so much.
You may be familiar with the Opium Wars, which were basically started by a situation similar to today’s. Chinese pottery and “china” was being exported around the globe and especially to the British empire, and the lop-sided exchange was damaging the financial strenght of the then-world’s largest superpower, Britain.
Without getting too political about the next phase, sales of opium to Chinese peasants led to increasing tension and eventually Britain prevailed in what became armed conflict. The result was that China was forced to import manufactured goods, and this caused a long period of Chinese weakness.
Well. China learns from history - something we seem to forget after about 36 months.
China is now doing to the west, exactly what China went through. Meanwhile China is supplanting us, in every important way.
And it is your type of “it’s a new paradigm we don’t need to make anything of value anymore” divorce from all logic, which is keeping us heading over that cliff.
Of course we need manufacturing. We need jobs. We need to have skills, and we need to have wages.
All of that - is being handed to our single largest, most focused, most potent and resourceful potential rival, we as a nation have ever faced.
Yet. You and others who should be pointing the folly of this disaster, are out front, hypnotizing our own with the sounds of the “free trade” flute.
Free trade isn’t a problem.
Free trade is THE problem.
Because we don’t have free trade. We have only a one-way flow of everything valuable, out of our nation!
Eventually everything of value will be gone.
All of it.
Then what?
It’s a real question. Then what?
Exactly correct. Ants in the ant farm have a better chance against bug bomb set off in the same room.
Excellent call.
“Eventually everything of value will be gone.”
But on the other side, they have not even invented a marketable or commonly usable; computer, microwave, an aircraft carrier, an operating system, a solar cell, a nuclear reactor, etc, etc, etc.
What we have they can not order to be created.. and haven’t to this day. That is the edge that makes us a worthy power to always be reckoned with.
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