BILL GERTZ
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
May 19, 2000
Russia sends cruise missiles to China for new warships
Russia recently delivered the first shipment of supersonic cruise
missiles to China for a new missile destroyer and more of the
weapons will be sent later this year, Pentagon officials said
yesterday.
The deployment of the 24 SSN- 22 anti-ship cruise missiles on a
Chinese Sovremenny-class destroyer is the most significant recent
weapons development by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) naval
forces, according to Navy officials.
The missile shipment was sent by a manufacturer from the Pacific
port of Vladivostok to China within the past several weeks, said
officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The missiles will be deployed on China's new Sovremenny-class
guided-missile destroyer, the first of two advanced warships
bought by the PLA navy. The first guided-missile destroyer sailed
to China earlier this year without the sea-skimming anti-ship
missiles.
A second delivery of the high-speed missiles is expected in the
next several months, the officials said.
Naval officials told The Washington Times the cruise-missile
destroyer represents a major boost in Chinese surface warship
firepower.
``The Sovremenny arrival is obviously the big issue that really
did change the capability of the surface force,'' one official
said.
The arrival of the first missiles, known as Sunburns, was
reported to senior officials in intelligence reports yesterday.
Details were disclosed by two Russian news agencies on Monday and
Tuesday.
The missile delivery comes at an awkward time for the Clinton
administration as it seeks to lobby Congress for passage of a
trade bill to help China. The president has said improving trade
relations with China will boost U.S. national security.
The administration last month also refused to authorize the sale
to Taiwan of four Aegis radar-equipped missile destroyers and
high-speed anti-radiation missiles that could be used by Taiwan's
forces to counter the new warships.
Taiwan arms sales have been blocked by pro-China officials at the
White House and State Department who fear U.S. transfers will
upset Beijing.
Russian weapons designers originally built the SSN-22 for the
Soviet Navy to use against U.S. warships during the Cold War. The
missile has a range of between 80 and 85 miles. Its supersonic
speed is what makes the missile a major threat.
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, California Republican and sponsor of a
bill to punish Russia for the missile transfers, said the
anti-ship missiles could be used against Americans in the future.
``The Chinese communists now have the ability to sink American
aircraft carriers and kill thousands of Americans,'' Mr.
Rohrabacher said in an interview. ``If they ever decide to use
these weapons, the American people have a right to ask who's to
blame. But maybe we should ask that question before Americans
start dying.''
A bill sponsored by Mr. Rohrabacher passed the House
International Relations Committee two weeks ago that would block
any U.S. debt relief for the Russian government if future Sunburn
missile sales are not stopped. The full House could vote on the
measure in the next several weeks.
Richard Fisher, a specialist on the Chinese military with the
Jamestown Foundation, said Russia's delivery of the missile weeks
after the Clinton administration's rejection of guided missile
ships to Taiwan is ``a humiliation on top of a retreat.''
``From Eisenhower to Bush, the operative American policy was to
promote deterrence on the Taiwan Strait by selling Taiwan's
military a technical edge over the PRC,'' Mr. Fisher said. ``In
the year 2000, the Clinton administration has abandoned this
long-standing U.S. policy and has decreased deterrence for the
foreseeable future.''
Mr. Fisher said Taiwan's navy currently is defenseless against
the supersonic cruise missile deployed on the new Chinese
warship. ``It has no defensive system that can take out this
missile besides a pre-emptive attack on the destroyer itself,
which increases instability on the Taiwan Strait,'' he said.
As for U.S. ships, any Navy ships operating outside the
protection of aircraft carrier battle groups or Aegis ships ``are
dead meat for the Sunburn.''
The Navy officials said the purchase of Russian warships and
advanced missiles is part of a buildup of naval forces by Beijing
in case it decides to use force against Taiwan, which the
communist government views as a Chinese province.
``I don't think the Chinese military is in a big hurry to deal
with Taiwan militarily,'' one official said.
However, if a conflict erupts, China's military leaders
``recognize that if called on, they will go, they have to go, and
the systems they are getting will have some capability to do
that,'' the official said.
China also has four advanced Kilo submarines and has purchased
Su-27 fighter-bombers from Moscow.
The weapons purchases are part of a growing strategic partnership
between Moscow and Beijing, an alliance based in part on
opposition to the United States.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit Beijing in
July as a sign of the developing alliance.
According to the Navy officials, China's short-term military goal
is to develop or buy the forces needed for fighting Taiwan. The
longer-term objective is to build better command, control and
communications systems that will assist their war-fighting
capabilities, they said.
``They are focused on the Taiwan scenario, and all their efforts
have been recently on systems that are important for Taiwan,''
the official said.
Capt. Craig Quigley, a Pentagon spokesman, recently sought to
play down the Russian warship sale as not a new development.
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FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day.
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