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Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Ready. Set. Go?
The Chinese will invade Taiwan.
As this article notes, the Chinese are getting ready:
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged greater development of China's military, saying modernizaton of the army was of strategic importance to safeguard the eventual reunification of Taiwan.
"Strengthening national defense and developing the army constitute a task of strategic importance to our modernization drive and an important guarantee for safeguarding national security and reunification," Wen said at the opening session of the annual National People's Congress (NPC).
Wen said it was an "historical objective" to ensure that the army "is capable of winning any war it fights," but also underscored the importance of the military being run "strictly in accordance with the law."
I've already written about the crash naval building program of China that seems clearly directed at an amphibious invasion and a naval interference operation to keep us away long enough to conquer Taiwan.
The Chinese are also getting set with a new anti-secession law that will provide their justification for naked aggression against a free people in a tiny country...:
The People's Liberation Army air force conducted exercises on a western Chinese plateau, hitting all targets with four rocket-propelled grenades that prepared the force for "cross-regional missions," state tabloid Global Times reported. Chinese commentator Song Zhongping said the drills were preparing for a situation on the island of Taiwan or at the air force base in Taiwan's Hualian county. Beijing does not recognize Taiwanese sovereignty in its One-China Policy, and recently denounced any U.S. plan to sell weapons to Taiwan. The Eastern Theater Command Air Force Air Brigade, which oversees Taiwan, conducted the exercises while simulating different climatic conditions.
China’s military conducted exercises in high plateaus of the country’s western region, according to state media.
In the course of the exercises, pilots encountered an unexpected sandstorm, but the "100 percent hit rate" on high plateaus is an indication the PLA air force can accomplish attack missions, Song said. The virtual targets used in the exercise were also reportedly one-tenth the size of usual targets, and they were designed to purposely increase training difficulty, according to state media. Declining relations with Taiwan may not be the only issue China has responded with military gestures. China has deployed heavily armed troops to the country's Xinjiang province, home to the Uighur minority.
Beijing has been suppressing protests in the area, and local authorities might be monitoring ethnic Uighurs at a soon-to-open subway in Urumqi, Hong Kong's Ming Pao Daily reported Tuesday. Riders who are not Han Chinese must show identification before purchasing tickets, creating fears of long lines and delays during rush hour, according to the report. The subway system, the first of its kind in Urumqi, is to launch in June.
Analyst: China conducting exercises to train for Taiwan
The jamming equipment was deployed to the Spratly Islands, which are also claimed by the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia, The Wall Street Journal reported. The rising Chinese military presence in the maritime area comes amid reports China is taking an interest in building a base in the South Pacific, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. China's deployment of jammers was confirmed by commercial satellite imagery, taken by the firm DigitalGlobe and provided to The Journal. The image shows a jammer system and its antenna on Mischief Reef, which the Chinese have converted into an artificial island by transferring sand to rocks and reefs.
China may have deployed military jamming equipment to the Spratly Islands.
But The Diplomat stated the images alone are not enough to determine the equipment's function. China defended the Spratly Islands on Tuesday as "Chinese territory" that is "helpful to protecting national sovereignty and security." "China's stationing of troops and deployment of facilities for homeland defense on the islands and reefs is the natural right of a sovereign nation," said Senior Col. Ren Guoqiang. Chinese interests may also extend well beyond its borders.
Australian media reports state China has been in "preliminary discussion" with the government of Vanuatu. Beijing could be planning to build a military base, which, if completed, would be the first overseas Chinese base in the Pacific. China has been delivering "hundreds of millions of dollars" of development money to the South Pacific nation and has pledged to build a new residence for Prime Minister Charlot Salwai. Experts say a Chinese military base in Vanuatu would "challenge" U.S. dominance in the Pacific.
Reports: China installs jammers as it eyes South Pacific base
DEFENCE experts have warned that China’s latest flagged move in the South Pacific presents a “massive nightmare” for Australia. Fears have mounted following reports Beijing is seeking to establish a permanent military base in Vanuatu, less than 2000km from the Australian border. Initial talks have already begun with Vanuatu, which could see Beijing establishing a major military presence and upsetting the strategic balance of the region, Fairfax Media reported today. Experts warn this will essentially see a Chinese military outpost planted directly in Australia’s backyard.
Adam Lockyer, a senior lecturer in Security Studies at Macquarie University, stressed that this is a huge deal for us. “This is a big nightmare for Australia,” he told news.com.au. “A Chinese base here has been the primary fear of Australian strategic thinkers since Federation.” So what’s China playing at? Dr Lockyer said Australia had always been relatively safe as long as a great power — like China — didn’t have a base within proximity. Since the end of World War II, we’ve fought to ensure no other power could interfere with us from the South Pacific region.
He explained that there’s a strategic military purpose to building a nearby base, in that you don’t need to defeat an entire army; you only need to defeat a small faction of the army that can be projected in one wave. “As soon as you have that, Australia is vulnerable to military attacks and skyrockets,” he warned. “Canberra will be panicking if these reports are true. This is really going to shake the cage.” Foreign Minister Julie Bishop downplayed fears this morning, saying she was confident of Australia’s strong relationship with the island nation 1750km east of Northern Australia.
She also noted that China has only established one military base — in Djibouti in northern Africa. “I’m not aware of a military offer being made by China to Vanuatu,” she told ABC radio today. She also noted that Vanuatu’s high commissioner in Canberra, Kalfau Kaloris, said his country’s foreign ministry was “not aware” of China’s plan to build a permanent presence on the island. “We have very good relationships with Vanuatu and I remain confident that Australia is Vanuatu’s strategic partner of choice.”
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