Chinese dragon awakens

WT ^ | 6/26/05 | Bill Gertz

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

China is building its military forces faster than U.S. intelligence and military analysts expected, prompting fears that Beijing will attack Taiwan in the next two years, according to Pentagon officials.

U.S. defense and intelligence officials say all the signs point in one troubling direction: Beijing then will be forced to go to war with the United States, which has vowed to defend Taiwan against a Chinese attack.

China's military buildup includes an array of new high-technology weapons, such as warships, submarines, missiles and a maneuverable warhead designed to defeat U.S. missile defenses. Recent intelligence reports also show that China has stepped up military exercises involving amphibious assaults, viewed as another sign that it is preparing for an attack on Taiwan.

"There's a growing consensus that at some point in the mid-to-late '90s, there was a fundamental shift in the sophistication, breadth and re-sorting of Chinese defense planning," said Richard Lawless, a senior China-policy maker in the Pentagon. "And what we're seeing now is a manifestation of that change in the number of new systems that are being deployed, the sophistication of those systems and the interoperability of the systems."

China's economy has been growing at a rate of at least 10 percent for each of the past 10 years, providing the country's military with the needed funds for modernization.

The combination of a vibrant centralized economy, growing military and increasingly fervent nationalism has transformed China into what many defense officials view as a fascist state.

"We may be seeing in China the first true fascist society on the model of Nazi Germany, where you have this incredible resource base in a commercial economy with strong nationalism, which the military was able to reach into and ramp up incredible production," a senior defense official said.....

[Dat Mon]

China thread bump

[Non-Sequitur]

Well, China's economic growth will come to an abrupt halt if trade is cut off by a war.

So will ours.

[expatguy]

You are correct sir.

The focus of China is not on Taiwan. It is on Southeast Asia.

Yin and Yang

[phalynx]

They have a plan, it is coming clear. They strike Taiwan, if we try to help Taiwan, they cut off Unocal and watch the "oil price boogie" begin. America will yell, let them have Taiwan, we need our oil...........

[jackibutterfly]

"China does not need a war, because they are already going what it takes to own our country."

because they are already DOING what it takes . . .

[proxy_user]

I don't know about that.

Maybe we could re-open some of our glow-in-the-dark dog toy factories,,,,maybe even revive the muffin tin industry.

[verity]

"I think the U.S. and China will be competitors for a long time, but, if both nations remain stable, pragmatism could keep the competition peaceful, and perhaps cooperative."

Perhaps we will be revisiting the concepts of MAD and peaceful coexistence. The alternative is not appealing.

[A.B.Normal]

Pentagon worried about the potential war in 2 years. No way They will hope Hitlary, or any Degenrat gets elected. Then they will attack as they know the US will not enter. Personally, I think we should modify the treaty, give Taiwan nukes, and bow out. Taiwan isn't worth getting killed over.

[Maigrey]

There's a growing consensus that at some point in the mid-to-late '90s, there was a fundamental shift in the sophistication, breadth and re-sorting of Chinese defense planning,"

Could it be that was when a certain administration sold to the chinese government cruise missile technology? That would seem key to me.....

[Dat Mon]

The key is the MIRV technology they 'acquired' under the Clinton admin...its all in the super secret Cox report.

The thinking goes as follows...if the Chinese attack Taiwan...would we risk losing a carrier or two defending it in a conventional attack from lets say for example Chinese submarines...its an asymmetrical threat... If we did lose a carrier...how would we respond..conventionally?...go nuclear preemptively?

We can effectively destroy China in a matter of minutes using a couple of Trident subs parked off the coastline. Would we do this preemptively?

The key question is...could China take out a couple of our cities using MIRVs launched from their latest nuclear subs parked off our coastline. When will have China have that capability...does it have it now?

The last thing China...like the Soviet Union wants is for the US to have a comprehensive space and land based missile defense system which destroys missiles in the boost or ascent phase...when they are the most vulnerable, and before the MIRV aspect applies.

Thats why China will do anything it can to drain us economically NOW...even at cost to their own economy...so as to keep us from having the political and economic will to spend the necessary money to acquire such a defense capability. Also..if Hillary gets in...you can forget missile defense.

JMHO of course.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Their motivation isn't economic, it's geographic. They want the US to have no base of operations in the Pacific theater. It probably won't happen (as long as South Korea and Japan remain friendly), but that's their motivation.

It's sort of like an invasion of Kuwait. You do it to see how much you can get away with and how difficult it will be to control an entire region, including other nations.

[devane617]

"China does not need a war, because they are already going what it takes to own our country." because they are already DOING what it takes . . .

YES! Thanks for the correction.

[Coleus]

via drudge?

[fso301]

Michael Pillsbury, a former Pentagon official and specialist on China's military, said the internal U.S. government debate on the issue and excessive Chinese secrecy about its military buildup "has cost us 10 years to figure out what to do"

Thank you bill clinton.

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

I was blocked from him.

[spetznaz]

Hi Keuhn12,

We have done this tango before, and I believe I even put up pictures of some of China's military developments (including assymetrical, and for purely offensive purposes, strategies such as putting MLRS missile launchers on cargo ships and training the cargo ship crew on sudden surprise-strike missions). But since that dance was in the past there is no need to delve into it here.

What really makes me smile is the following post you placed:

There are to many variables. I think that Chinese are a nationalist state, but to call them fascist. I need more to hang that label on them. I don't see alot of goose stepping in pictures, but there does seem to be alot cell phones, computers, and fancy cars. ----Kuehn12

I don't know where you got the impression that a marker of fascism is photographic 'goose stepping' evidence. But hey, if it carries so mcuh weight for you then you might very well enjoy the following pics:

I even have a nice pretty one with women in it:

However what is the meat of fascism? It entails the following:

* exalts nation and sometimes race above the individual.

* stresses loyalty to a single leader.

* uses violence and modern techniques of propaganda and censorship to forcibly suppress political opposition.

* engages in severe economic and social regimentation.

* engages in corporatism/capitalism

* implements totalitarianism.

That is China to a T. China is a fascist state, and just because they have 'cellphones, computers and fancy cars' doesn't necessitate an absence of fascist ideals and ideologies. In fact THAT even goes further to show that they are indeed fascist and no longer communist.

Anyways, since you are so focussed on goose stepping photos I thought it would be gentlemanly if I included a couple more:

[Coleus]

Most Favored Nation Status.

We're giving them money buying their products which they use to make the bombs.

They're buying up our t-bills with our money (trade deficit of over $150 billion with china alone) and can cause a depression in the USA at any minute.


Is our government really looking out for us?

Do we deserve what we get?

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Consider China's own economic status, what has economic freedom done for them?

[Coleus]

They're a communist country so I don't know how economically free they are.

All I know is that the USA under Clinton designated them with most favored nation status which has continued until today.

the red Chinese have nukes pointed at our west coast with money and technology from the USA.

they also own many of our treasury certificates which, if redeemed all at once, could put the USA into a depression.

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

The introduction of market economics to what has long been an oppressed country is not working. Think about Russia.