China Seeks To Overwhelm Taiwan's ABM Defenses

SINO DAILY

Plenty more in the armory.

by Martin Sieff
UPI Senior News Analyst
Washington (UPI) Jul 29, 2005
China appears determined to develop and maintain the capability to overwhelm any anti-ballistic missile defense system that Taiwan can deploy.

Despite a $15.3-billion special budget to buy Patriot PAC-3 air defense systems, diesel submarines and PC-3 Orion surveillance planes, Taiwan has failed to keep pace with the growth in China's military capabilities, the 2005 annual Pentagon report on China's military capabilities said this week.

Beijing has a range of options short of a full-scale invasion of a Taiwan, including limited strikes to break the will of Taiwan's leadership or population, the report said.

China could unleash a campaign involving computer network attacks, sabotage by special forces and strikes on key military or political sites with short-range missiles or warplanes, it said.

"Although Beijing might view these as a complement to non-military coercion and as less than a full use of force, others may view such actions differently," the report warned. "Such a Chinese miscalculation could lead to a full-fledged conflict."

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SINO DAILY

Experts Troubled By China Arms Buildup

Washington (AFP) Jul 27, 2005
Experts told a congressional panel Wednesday that China's weapons buildup poses a major challenge to the United States and its Asian allies, despite administration assurances that Beijing is not considered a threat.