http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=china
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=submarines
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=submarine
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Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1966921/posts
U.S. military officials wary of China’s expanding fleet of submarines
Int’l Herald Tribune (NYT) ^ | February 7, 2008 | David Lague
Posted on 02/07/2008 9:30:00 PM PST by fishhound
BEIJING: For a procession of senior U.S. military commanders who have visited China in recent years, the complaint has become almost routine.
As part of a sustained military buildup, they say, China is investing heavily in so-called area-denial weapons without explaining why it needs them.
The term area-denial weapons refers to a combination of armaments, technology and tactics that could be used to dominate a specific area or keep opposing forces at bay in a conflict. And one of the most formidable examples U.S. commanders identify is the Chinese Navy’s rapidly expanding fleet of nuclear and conventional submarines.
“I would say that the U.S. feels a strong threat from Chinese submarines,” said Andrei Chang, an expert on Chinese and Taiwan military forces and editor in chief of the magazine Kanwa Defence Review.
“China now has more submarines than Russia, and the speed they are building them is amazing,” Chang said.
U.S. and other Western military analysts estimate that China now has more than 30 advanced and increasingly stealthy submarines, along with dozens of older, obsolete types. “China is capable of serial production of modern diesel-electric submarines and is moving forward with new nuclear submarines,” the Pentagon said last year in its annual report on the Chinese military.
By the end of the decade, experts say, China will have more submarines than the United States, although it will still lag in overall capability.
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
Checking in on the “peace” process:
Note: The following news brief is a quote:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3504277,00.html
Qassam lands near Sderot, no injuries
Published: 02.08.08, 07:59 / Israel News
A Qassam rocket launched from northern Gaza on Friday morning landed near the town of Sderot, causing no damage or injuries.
This is the fourth rocket fired towards the western Negev since the early hours of the morning, no injuries or damage were reported in any of the attacks. (Shmulik Hadad)
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Note: The following news brief is a quote:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3504263,00.html
Qassam lands in western Negev, no injuries
Published: 02.08.08, 07:20 / Israel News
A Qassam rocket launched from northern Gaza on Friday morning landed near an Israeli community in the western Negev.
No injuries were reported and no damage was caused. (Shmulik Hadad)
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Note: The following news brief is a quote:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3504243,00.html
US calls on Israel not to exacerbate humanitarian situation in Gaza
Published: 02.08.08, 00:53 / Israel News
The US State Department on Thursday called on Israel to refrain from exacerbating the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. This following Israel’s decision to cut back half a megawatt of its supply of electricity to Gaza every week for 10 weeks.
State Department Spokesman Tom Casey said that while the United States respected Israel’s right to defend itself, it did not believe measures that may harm Gaza’s populace should be taken. (AFP)