Posted on 08/20/2019 8:54:42 AM PDT by BeauBo
The United States withdrew from the INF Treaty this month, accusing Moscow of having broken the agreement by developing its nuclear-capable SSC-8 missiles – with an estimated range of 2,600km – and placing some in western Russia.
Washington is also believed to be preparing for another test in November of an intermediate-range ballistic missile that it wants to deploy in the Asia-Pacific region, according to Reuters on Tuesday. This could signal an escalation of tension in the coming months.
Earlier this month, US Defence Secretary Mark Esper expressed a wish to station intermediate-range missiles in the Pacific region within months. His country’s national security adviser John Bolton has also suggested that the missiles could be deployed in Japan and South Korea.
China has vowed to take unspecified countermeasures if the US deploys ground-based missiles in South Korea or Japan. Russia has also said it would respond if they were deployed.
(Excerpt) Read more at scmp.com ...
Zhang noted that Beijing had rejected pressure from the US to join a new INF treaty. “Missile capability forms the backbone of China’s deterrence and offers some kind of balance against US air power in the Pacific,” he said. Zhao Tong, a fellow in Carnegie’s Nuclear Policy Programme at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Centre for Global Policy in Beijing, said: “The US feels it can no longer sit on its hands and watch Russia developing such capabilities and China building more of these weapons. It reflects a clear arms-race mentality: one’s military build-up is guided not by clear strategy but by a desire to avoid being left behind.
“From the US perspective, to deploy such missiles in Asia would at least force China to take massive measures to protect its military targets from a possible US threat – a cost-imposition strategy to distract and delay China’s build-up of offensive military capabilities.”
Beijing might flex its muscles in response, Adam Ni, a China researcher at Sydney’s Macquarie University, said. “China sees possible new US missile deployments to its doorstep as very provocative and dangerous,” he said. “It may decide to counter new US missiles by developing and deploying more missiles and increasing their lethality.”"
China started a “fake island” race.
Those would be perfect targets for cruise missiles, by the way.
How about China controlling their client in North Korea?
We have to test our Cruise Missiles because North Korea is testing THEIR missiles.
They started the arms race, not us.
Right. It's not a 'race' until there's more than one participant.
“So many good testing sites in the area!” (South China Sea)
These missiles could make that area unsafe for Chinese Military operations (Area Denial), if the local countries were armed with them.
The top layer of a cargo ship might suddenly open and fire a big salvo.
I wonder China realizes what a comical nation it looks like at times.
I thought the Asian culture was focused on saving face.
China looks the fool so many times these days.
“China looks the fool so many times these days.”
Unfortunately, they already have their running dog lackeys in the Democratic Party working to zero out funding for these weapons in the House budget.
The amazing thing is that no one is telling the Chinese central committee that its a bad idea to piss off their best customer and long time friend.
The arrogance of the chinese in this is just amazing.
Don’t need a new one. The old one is alive and well.
They have the “mandate of heaven” barbarians should know there place!
Well IMHO, McArthur should have been left to continue his advance into China. My point being China is the USA’s clear and present danger. Russia hasn’t been for 30 years. What the hell Nixon was thinking opening the window to them I don’t know, but likely it was all Kissinger whispering in his ear.
Exactly. If China doesn’t want this then they need to get the Norks under control.
Good, because China will lose an arms race, and perhaps it will cause them to collapse just like the Soviets did.
Good, because China will lose an arms race, and perhaps it will cause them to collapse just like the Soviets did.
I wonder how long they’ll believe their keeping up with the technology they’ve stolen thus far?
Only if China can Steal them
Of course they do.
They’re on the same team.
But then the folks in the House don’t look any smarter either.
FTA: “Esper expressed a wish to station intermediate-range missiles in the Pacific region within months”
Why we keep announcing our intentions I don’t know, unless there is some deception involved. I’ve hoped that all that theft of intellectual property involved some sort of deception; something seemingly innocuous that gums up the works for them when they try to put it to use.
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