Posted on 03/17/2005 8:20:40 AM PST by jdm
MOSCOW, March 17. (RIA Novosti)-Yesterday, Chief of the Russian General Staff Yury Baluyevsky left for China to settle a scandal over the first Russian-Chinese military exercise, Commonwealth-2005, which is due to be held this fall off the Yellow Sea coast, writes Kommersant.
The initial plans were to practice operational teamwork in combating terrorism during the exercise. However, Beijing, skillfully changing the format of the exercise, has tried to re-orient the two countries' armies to practicing an invasion of Taiwan.
The choice of where the exercise will take place became a stumbling block. The Russian military selected the Xinjiang-Uigur autonomous region, basing their choice on the area's problematic nature due to Uigur separatists and its proximity to Central Asia, which has become an arena in the fight against international terrorism. However, Beijing flatly rejected the proposal. Instead, it suggested the Zhejiang province near Taiwan.
A joint exercise in this area would look too provocative and trigger a strong reaction not only from Taiwan but also America and Japan, which recently included the island in the zone of their common strategic interests.
Beijing is trying to use Russia as an additional lever of pressure on the disobedient island to show it that its policy is also causing dissatisfaction in Russia, from which the Taiwanese are expecting assistance in their dialogue with Beijing and bid to join the WTO and the UN.
On the Russian military's insistence, the exercise was shifted north to the Shangdong peninsula. However, the Chinese are trying to change the format of the exercise with proposals to enlarge the contingents with Marines and Pacific Fleet warships. Marine landings to seize the area will be practiced during the "antiterrorist" exercise.
Russia's agreement to hold the exercise will inevitably cause a furor in America, Japan and Taiwan. But a refusal will spoil relations with China, which three months ago courteously agreed to Russia's proposal to hold an exercise.
Developing...
The real Axis of Evil, China & Russia are licking their chops. We have grown weak & soft. One example would be an aversion to combat deaths. Some of this is due to the MSM. However, the American public has not the stomach for casualties that Russia & China are willing to take. (Iraq is a perfect example of this syndrome). If it were not for President Bush, China & Russia would have already invaded Taiwan & S. Korea. We are in BIG TROUBLE!!
We are in BIG TROUBLE!! Yeah.
Our response in the Taiwan Straits is the same as our 1st round response to any China-North Korean aggression over the DMZ into the South of Korea: Tactical Nuclear strikes crippling energy and military infrastructure. This has been our strategy since the cease-fire in that region back in the early fifties. As for China's army being manned with cannon fodder, thats an accurate assessment. And I submit, therefore, they should be used as such. It is only a matter of time before they try to do the same to us. And that is said with the highest respect for the culture and the history of one of the most capable races on this planet. But just like the Carthaginian Empire, they must be scattered and their masses dissipated, and my conscience has NO qualms about that. So Mote iT Be!
2X huh? Hahahaaa... You think they could survive out in the middle of the Pacific? Hahahaa...
And when they did that, NATO forces elevated their alert status. IIRC, the code name "Active Edge."
Americans are not Nazis. We are not in the salting the earth business.
You're such a simpleton. Why do you defame the good name of Destro as you do? You do realize the human equivalent of Destro is a Mercenary Arms Dealer beholden to NO special interests, right? Or did you think it just sounded cool?
"When you are backed against the wall you will use whatever you have at your disposal."
They are not backed against a wall. Maybe if they didn't have the support system they do now. But because of their allies (Japan, US, Australia) they would only resort to that as a last resort.
Taiwan is too democratic and reliant on outside help. They are not fools sir.
Russians tend to be very law/rules abiding. They are merciless on internal matters, but don't like to start wars. It is an interesting mindset. Germans tend to be the other way, and are very apt to start wars that aren't strictly defensive.
AHHH! Or are we? Because THEY sure are! And tehy project to eliminate our presence in the Pacific to the Marianas by 2008! And that strategy is Preemptive! Your mentality is the type that breaks down nations from within.
Yup - sorry for being such a simpelton that I don't want America to go and seed the earth with salt after we kill off the Chinese. I like the post WW2 model were we civilize a people. You want to wallow in pagan evils like the Romans did be my guest - but not in my America, Christ willing.
See # 134.
How would you have your America deal with China? And please be realistic.
Sounds like China has contracted a case of North Korean Stupidity.
Go advocate salting of the earth somewhere else. We are Americans - we follow a different path.
China is plenty aware of what our capabilites are and will plan accordingly. However, in the recent weeks of following this story, I have asked myself the question: Would China risk a full frontal war? At the risk of sounding Socratic, that is better answered by another question: can they? Well yes of course they can, they have enough people that a tactical nuclear strike on their military forces would only downsize, not obliterate.
If North Korea joins up with China in the Taiwan Strait then yes, we would strike first to avoid being struck. If it is only China, then the risk isn't as high.
Again, China is on a full-court press to establish themselves as a significant world power. We saw the start of it in economics and now we are seeing the military follow up. They are adding muscle to their word and that is highly dangerous.
"China is finding itself with a hostile, angry generation of young men who can't find women to date or marry because of the country's one child policy. So the men are being drafted into the military and are itching for something to do. Bill Gertz wrote an excellent book about China and I think it's 50-50 which way that country will go."
We will know after the Olympics. Could be Berlin 1936 all over again.
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