On Army Day, China Says Can Crush Taiwan Independence

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's defense minister marked Army Day Sunday by pledging the 2.5 million-strong military could crush any attempt at independence by Taiwan, echoing a tough message from his president to President Bush.

President and Communist Party chief Hu Jintao issued a blunt warning to Bush Friday not to press ahead with arms sales to the democratically ruled island that Beijing claims as a rebel province -- to be recovered by force if necessary.

Speaking Saturday at ceremonies to mark the Aug. 1 Army Day, anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), Cao said both peace and stability were impossible if Taiwan pursued independence.

"If the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces obstinately persist in their course, the Chinese People's Liberation Army has the determination and ability to resolutely smash any 'Taiwan independence' separatist plot," the People's Daily, mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, quoted Cao as saying.

Hu took a rare initiative to stress the importance of the Taiwan issue by calling Bush to voice Beijing's opposition to sales of sophisticated weapons to Taiwan, which is considering spending $18 billion on Patriot anti-missile systems, submarines and anti-submarine aircraft.

Defense Minister Cao said China hoped to achieve peaceful reunification with Taiwan, which Beijing has viewed as a renegade province since Nationalist forces fled there in 1949 at the end of the civil war on the mainland.

"We absolutely will not allow any person, using any means, to split Taiwan from the motherland," Cao said. "There is nothing more important than the territorial integrity of the motherland, and the will of 1.3 billion Chinese people cannot be spurned."

The arms issue has taken center stage since Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian took part in a rare submarine dive last week to boost military morale just days after arch-rival China completed a mock invasion of the island and to assure Washington of Taiwan's commitment to buying U.S. weaponry.

The drill, following China's war games off the island, was intended to boost public support for the arms deal that includes eight diesel-engine submarines, analysts said. Continued ...

China's People's Liberation Army soldiers take part in a parade in Hong Kong Aug. 1, 2004. Hong Kong pro-democracy activists joined Chinese generals on Sunday to watch an unprecedented military parade in the territory, saying their invitation underscored a new bid by China to ease distrust. Photo by Pool/Reuters

Type 95 Assault Rifle (5.8mm) Type 95 Squad Machine Gun (5.8mm)

The Type 95 5.8mm series is the latest assault weapon in service with the PLA. Introduced in 1995, the weapon has entered service with special operations forces, airborne corps and marine corps in a limited number. The Type 95 series include the basic variant assault rifle, the shortened variant carbine, and the squad machine gun that produces higher volumes of fire and is effective at longer ranges.

Type 95 assault rifle

PROGRAMME

General dissatisfaction with the 5.8mm Type 87 assault rifle led the PLA to the development of a new-generation assault weapon, the Type 95 (also known as QBZ-95) automatic assault rifle and squad machine gun. The weapon is available in three forms: the standard 5.8mm assault rifle, the shortened variant carbine, and the squad machine gun. There is also an export variant Type 97 (QBZ-97), which shares same basic design but fires NATO standard 5.56 X 45mm cartridge.

The Type 95 assault rifle was first seen fielded by the PLA Hong Kong garrison troops in 1997, and later entered service with special operations forces (SOFs), airborne corps and marine corps. However, it seems that the PLA is not entirely satisfied with the weapon’s performance. A range of technical problems and design flaws were reported during the initial fielding, and the Type 95 is unlikely to replace the Type 81 assault rifle to become the standard individual weapon in the near future.

Type 95 5.8mm assault rifle

The Type 95 was first seen fielded by the PLA Hong Kong garrison troops in 1997, and later entered service with special operations forces (SOFs), airborne corps and marine corps. However, the PLA seems not entirely satisfied with its performance as a range of technical problems and design flaws were reported during the initial fielding. In addition, the fact that the air force and navy are given high priority in China’s defence budgets also slowed the speed of the Type 95 replacing the elder Type 81 and Type 56 rifles in service with the PLA.

DESIGN

The Type 95 is a lightweight, gas operated, air cooled, magazine/drum fed individual assault weapon. It uses a unique 5.8mm cartridge in 30-round magazine or 70-round drum, and is selective for full automatic or semi-automatic single firing through the use of a selector lever. Polymer materials are used to help reduce the total weight of the weapon.

Type 95 5.8mm shortened carbine

The Type 95 assault rifle adopts a bullpup layout similar to the French Giat FAMAS and the British SA80 assault rifles. The efficiency of this design has been highly controversial from the experience of its fielding in the PLA. The weapon is generally regarded great when used for close-range, hip-firing. However, when the weapon is used for long-range accurate shoulder-firing, the smoke, noise, heat and disturbance of the ejected cartridges are widely complained.

Optional auxiliaries include the optical/night vision sight, silencer, laser designator, and the under-slung 35mm grenade launcher which can be mounted beneath the barrel of the weapon.

Type 95 squad machine gun

SPECIFICATIONS

(Type 95 Assault Rifle) Length: 746mm Weight: 3.25kg Bore Diameter: 5.8mm Max Effective Range: 400m Muzzle Velocity: 930m/s Rate of Fire: N/A Magazine Capacity: 30 rounds

(Type 95 Squad Machine Gun) Length: 800mm Weight: 3.95kg Bore Diameter: 5.8 mm Max Effective Range: 600m Muzzle Velocity: 970 m/s Rate of Fire: N/A Cartridge Drum Capacity: 75 rounds

Date Last Updated: 2 May 2004

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