Posted on 03/16/2005 8:34:58 PM PST by Lokibob
Pentagon delegation arrives in Taipei for talks with militaryBy Rich Chang
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, Mar 17, 2005,Page 1
A US military delegation arrived in Taipei yesterday, and will discuss the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities with Taiwanese military officials.
A member of the delegation, who requested anonymity, told the Taipei Times that the US saw the possibility of China's launching an attack using asymmetric warfare tactics against Taiwan as increasing.
"The US is concerned as to whether the PLA would be able to start an asymmetric war against Taiwan and whether there exists a fifth column of infiltrators in Taiwan," he said.
He said that the military delegation would also attend a four-day, closed-door unscheduled briefing with the Ministry of National Defense (MND) on the PLA's ability to invade Taiwan.
Meanwhile, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Hsueh Shih-ming (Á§¥Û¥Á) told the legislature on Monday that, according to NSB statistics, law enforcement officials have documented more than 49,000 Chinese illegal immigrants in Taiwan, and had repatriated more than 45,000 of them. Over 4,000 are missing.
Hsueh said that, while the NSB found that some of them are spying for China in Taiwan, the NSB has yet to uncover any organized activity among Chinese immigrants.
Hsueh, however, admitted that the NSB is concerned that China might use infiltrators to engage in asymmetric warfare against Taiwan, employing such tactics as sabotage and hacker attacks, or using biological and chemical weapons to destroy Taiwan's military infrastructure, command systems, and political and business centers in a short time.
"The goal of such tactics is to devastate the morale of our armed forces and citizens. This threat is strikingly similar to terrorism in nature," he added.
The US delegation member said that in addition to discussing Chinese infiltrators, the delegation would also exchange its views with Taipei on China's increasingly aggressive submarine force.
He said the US is concerned about incursions by Chinese submarines into the waters surrounding Japan and the Pacific Ocean east of Taiwan.
"A Chinese nuclear submarine made an incursion into waters near Okinawa last November, which really angered and affected Japan," he said.
The US is also concerned about China's acquisition of advanced Kilo-class attack submarines from Russia, he said.
He added that the US is seeking to share intelligence with Taiwan about anti-submarine warfare.
He said several delegations of US military personal would be arriving in Taipei in succession to observe the annual Han Kuang (Han Glory) exercises.
In related news, a Chinese newspaper yesterday said that the former commander of US Pacific Command, Admiral Thomas Fargo, will lead the US' biggest-ever delegation to watch this year's war games, which begin next month.
Japan will also send military personnel to Taipei, the paper said.
The report said the nation's military is preparing to conduct joint computer war games with the US and Japan, and the military will link up with the US military's Pacific headquarters in Hawaii for the first time.
I debated on joining the military after 9/11 but decided not to.
China, however. I'll be first in line. Serious, serious issue. Not to be taken lightly.
"Strangely, with no real evidence, I don't think the Party wants a war--at least not this soon, not yet. If the communists thought for a moment that the US and Japan would stand down while they invaded Taiwan, they would begin immediately."
Agreed with your speculation. Here is my speculation: Taiwan is the little ploy to start a big war. The real play is the Middle East. We could stop them just like Japan in WWII in the Pacific and the Chinese know this.
However, we get involved in Taiwan and China uses this as an excuse to attack our "allies" namely Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Their army could roll right through the Middle East and if they cut our supply of oil off, their would be nothing we could do to stop them, pending using nukes on them.
"What worries me the most is that if China does decide to move decisively against the ROC then they will also know that we will in some way retaliate. Simple causality. However, the question then becomes what happens if they decide to unload around 600 billion in US Treasuries? It could theoretically bring our country to an economic standstill by completely devaluing our currency."
Exactly. If/when they do this, we will see a depression here and will not be able to support our massive military. We may be able to protect ourselves in America but we certainly won't be able to prevent China from running amock in say, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia where we get our oil from.
"What do you guys think would happen if China attacked Taiwan? If we repelled an attack do you think we would go all the way and topple the communist regime? What do you guys think North Korea and Russia will do if war breaks out with China?"
I believe we will see North Korea attack South Korea within 6 months of China attacking Taiwan. Then I would say that Russia will attack a weak, socialite Europe. As one poster mentions, the Chinese can bankrupt us instantly if they want to, but not yet - they are patient and will build their military up for at least another 5-7 years in my opinion before they do this. Then, as we sit trying to keep things intact domestically, they will make their move. Right now we outgun their navy in all areas but they are quickly catching up. I also think they want the prestige of the Olympics in 2008 kind of like Hitler in pre-WWII.
"Waiting and appeasing China is only allowing them to choose the perfect timing of an invasion and allowing them to become more powerful. Let's push them until they back down when it comes to Taiwan or attack while they are less prepared then they will be in the future."
Thats a good point but like everything else it's politics. Does Bush want to be the President blamed for a major depression and starting WWIII?
Time to sell 300-400 Thermo-Nuclear warheads and intermediate range missles to Taiwan.
those that would take the brunt haven't been as involved in
Iraq as the ground troops -- the subs and other carrier groups.
"To the comment that 600 billion isn't all that much in treasuries. I completely disagree especially if it is taken in conjunction with a complete nationalization of all factories in the PRC. If you personally have enough liquidity to purchase them I congratulate you, however, from what I've seen of the most recent set of economic data, most Americans simply put do not have the savings to prop up our debt in that manner. If you follow the economic/business news then you are no doubt aware that even Warren Buffet is moving away from the dollar and into European markets, and the saying is where the Wizard goes Wall Street follows.
Free trade has been an unmitigated disaster for most Americans, and the national security angle of relocating our manufacturing capacity in China has not been covered in the MSM (am I surprised of course not)."
Good points but Warren Buffet didn't exactly please his investors this year with almost nil movement of their funds.
The real bad news is oil. After 9/11 we should have dumped 100 billion dollars into building massive synthetic oil plants and ethenol conversion facilities. Because with our own energy independance, we can overcome anything. Without it, recovering indeed will take decades and you can be sure China and Russia will own 1/2 the globe by then.
I tend to think that, to the Chinese, Taiwan is an end of itself, although an invasion of the island might have a broader aim. Who can know with any certainty what the Chinese intend? Such an assault would certainly have a global ripple. Any opponent would want to disrupt our economy as much as possible, and oil is a notorious Achilles heel for the US. I disagree, however, that the Chinese would find a Middle Eastern adventure the stroll through the park you describe. It is easier to sink tankers to disrupt our oil supply than it is to send ground forces rampaging through thousands of miles of hostile desert.
Any war with Red China will not be a land war on mainland China.
As North Korea is China's attack dog, make Taiwan ours. Give them, under our supervision, nuclear warheads and announce that Taiwan has the bomb and if China attacks Taiwan will retaliate. Then what do they do?
"Allowing the invasion of Taiwan by the PRC is unacceptable. After Taiwan, they will move outward to the other islands and territories that they claim. Even if we decided not to act, millions would die."
I doubt that, once they reached the Phillipines their fleet would be in range of the full power of our air force coming in from the West coast and thats IF they could destroy our fleet. Japan did it at Pearl Harbor but only because their was no such thing as advanced radar sattelites. My guess is that they would move on the Middle East and claim oil based assets.
What do you mean "bomb them back to the stone age" they never left the stone age. They still plant rice by hand and build roads with hand shovels. More like, bomb them until they starve, would be more accurate.
"I disagree, however, that the Chinese would find a Middle Eastern adventure the stroll through the park you describe. It is easier to sink tankers to disrupt our oil supply than it is to send ground forces rampaging through thousands of miles of hostile desert."
Not a walk in the park no, but limitless supply of ground forces supported by an increasing advanced air-force and I don't see what country could stop them. After all, we are 7,000 from supply routes, vs. 500 or less miles for them. i doubt it is something they consider plausible today but they seem to be advanced long-term thinkers.
I meant the coastal cities and their high tech (=post 1990 technology) manufacturing facilities. You're right, 99% of the country is still in the stone age.
The Chinese government is setting up a lot of propaganda in preparation for war against Japan.
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