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Posted on 10/07/2002 2:57:02 PM PDT by knighthawk
TAIPEI: The United States has agreed to "conditionally" share its military satellite data with Taiwan, a move expected to irritate China, it was reported on Monday.
Once linked to the US satellite system codenamed "Defense Support Project" (DSP), Taiwan would be able to allow up to seven more minutes in advance while its Patriot anti-missile weaponry prepared to intercept any incoming missiles, the United Daily News said.
It said the Taiwan military plans to set up ground stations over the next five years to plug the island's Patriot systems to the US military satellite system.
The defense ministry was tight-lipped on the reported military cooperative project, a move Beijing may interpret as a further step towards a military alliance between the United States and Taiwan which it regards as part of its territory.
But Taiwan's defense minister Tang Yao-ming told the parliament on Monday "it would be his pleasure to see the development," without providing details.
Washington remains Taiwan's leading arms supplier despite having switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.
In July, the Pentagon made public a report in which the United States questioned China's commitment to a peaceful resolution of its differences with Taiwan.
The report broke new ground by emphasising that China was exploring strategies that would use missile strikes, blockades and even cyberwarfare, rather than a D-Day-style invasion, to bring Taiwan to heel.
It said the People's Liberation Army has deployed 350 ballistic missiles targeting Taiwan, with the number expected to increase at a rate of 50 a year.
Last year, US President George W. Bush cause a furor in China by saying that the United States would do whatever it takes to defend Taiwan, a statement seen by many as a departure from the long-held US policy of strategic ambiguity toward the island.
China and Taiwan split in 1949 at the end of a civil war, but Beijing has repeatedly threatened to invade Taiwan if it declares independence.
... The report broke new ground by emphasising that China was exploring strategies that would use missile strikes, blockades and even cyberwarfare, rather than a D-Day-style invasion, to bring Taiwan to heel ...Perhaps they should deploy a large wooden horse ...
Rabbit.
Or possibly a large, wooden badger.
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