-Caveat Lector-
February 5, 2001
China adding missiles aimed toward Taiwan
By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
China is continuing a destabilizing buildup of short-range
missiles opposite Taiwan and now has up to 300 missiles deployed,
according to a senior military official.
The senior official, who spoke to The Washington Times on the
condition of anonymity, also said Russia is supplying China with
advanced ballistic-missile technology and strategic nuclear
warhead know-how.
"The candy store appears to be open," the official said. "The
Russians will sell anything to the Chinese that the Chinese want
to buy, and that's what bothers me."
On China's massing of short-range missiles, the official said
Chinese military leaders have refused to draw down the force,
despite U.S. protests that the missiles are increasing
instability and the danger of conflict across the Taiwan Strait.
"They keep on building," the official said.
He noted: "If the Chinese keep on doing what they're doing, we're
going to make theater missile systems available to the Taiwanese.
Taiwan currently has deployed the most-advanced U.S. missile
defense available, a version of the Patriot system known as GEM
PAC-2. The systems are deployed around Taipei, the Taiwanese
capital.
Other more advanced regional missile defenses will be fielded
with U.S. forces in the next several years.
Asked about growing Russian-Chinese military cooperation, the
official said missile and nuclear warhead transfers are
troubling.
Intelligence reports indicate the Russians have begun "helping
Chinese ballistic missile programs and nuclear programs, which
are of course targeted on Russia," the official said.
"It's one thing if they want to help [the Chinese] screw the
United States, which is in their common interest right now, but
this just seems to be mindless," the official said. "I think
it's stupidity on the Russians' part; it is going to hurt them in
the long term."
He said Russia's state-owned arms-export company,
Rosvooruzheniye, is becoming China's major supplier. China also
is seeking to purchase an advanced airborne warning and control
(AWAC) jet from Russia, after Israel canceled a similar deal at
U.S. insistence in July.
On the missile buildup, the official said the growing numbers are
only one aspect of the problem. The Chinese also are deploying
highly accurate "precision" weapons in addition to older,
inertially guided missiles.
"They are in the 200 to 300 category," the senior official said.
"And just as important as the number, is the accuracy. Right now
they are mostly inertial [guidance], which give them [circular
error probabilities] in the Scud range. But they are working on
more precision guidance, which will make a big difference."
Between 600 and 1,000 short-range missiles could be in place in
the next several years.
The official said the United States has informed China it is
considering sales to Taiwan of advanced Aegis-equipped warships.
If the $1 billion warships are sold, they will be equipped with
"fleet air defenses" capable of countering China's current
arsenal of Sunburn anti-ship missiles and other anti-ship
weapons, but they will not be outfitted with the Navy's two
regional missile defense systems, which have not yet been
fielded.
The Aegis-ships "would give the Taiwanese the ability to survive
with their surface ships," he said.
U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and the building of a national missile
defense systems are two issues expected to cloud U.S.-China ties,
the official said.
However, China is not likely to increase the size of its
strategic nuclear missile buildup in response to a U.S. missile
shield, he said. "I see no indication that anything we do really
affects the Chinese building program."
The missile buildup has been tracked by Pentagon intelligence
agencies for the past several years. In 1998, China had fewer
than 50 short-range missiles deployed near Taiwan, and in 1999
the number had increased to 150.
The senior official identified the missiles as CSS-6s and CSS-7s
�missiles also known by the designations M-9 and M-11,
respectively. China unveiled an advanced CSS-7 Mod 2 in late
1999.
The missiles have enough range to hit targets in Taiwan with
little or no warning. The lack of warning time increases the
risk of conflict, U.S. military officials said.
Last year, the State Department privately protested Beijing's
missile buildup, U.S. officials said. Publicly, the department
has described the buildup as worrying and said it could lead to
future sales of U.S. anti-missile defenses to Taiwan.
According to the senior military official, China's military
remains backward by American standards but is building up its
forces � both strategic and conventional �through purchases of
high-technology arms, mostly from Russia.
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) views the United States as
its main threat and is highlighting the perceived danger to win
more funds for military programs.
"It's clear that the PLA, both because they believe it and
because it's a wonderful bureaucratic strategy, continues to pump
up the American threat," he said. "They clearly justify the
requirements for increases in military budgets based on the
Taiwan scenario, keeping the United States out, and damaging
Taiwan. And they're having some success in getting budget
increases."
China appears to be having problems integrating high-technology
weapons, like domestic versions of the Russian Su-27, he said.
A recent Chinese military exercise in the South China Sea also
revealed training tactics that are 20 to 30 years behind those
carried out by the United States, he said.
The exercise, code-named Invincible Might, came as nations in
Southeast Asia held talks to set up a code of conduct for
regional militaries aimed at avoiding conflicts.
China's most visible recent military deployments include two
Sovremenny-class guided-missile destroyers that are armed with
supersonic SSN-22 Sunburn anti-ship missiles, and scores of
Su-27s that can be equipped with advanced Russian A-12 guided
missiles. They also have Badger bombers capable of carrying out
missile attacks on ships.
China's forces could fight well on their territory but would be
no match for the United States in a conflict over Taiwan, he
said.
Chinese military officials, in talks with U.S. counterparts,
have been urged not to consider a conflict with the United States
because "we know how that one is going to end," the official
said. "There's going to be a lot of bloodshed and there is going
to be no change at the end of the day."
The U.S. strategy has been to try to involve China in regional
forums and exercises as a way to prevent Beijing from resorting
to bullying tactics, the official said.
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Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF:
*Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
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