Chinese war games leave US unfazed, `REGIONAL STABILITY' Options

[taiwan_honbura]

`REGIONAL STABILITY': Beijing and Moscow are set to invade a peninsula in Shandong, but few think it signifies a major change in regional politics
By Charles Snyder
STAFF REPORTER IN WASHINGTON
Wednesday, Aug 17, 2005,Page 1

The Bush administration has described a planned joint Chinese-Russian military exercise in the Yellow Sea north of Taiwan as one that could advance the "mutual goal of regional stability" in East Asia, despite some reports that paint the exercise as being eerily similar to a rehearsal for a joint invasion of Taiwan.

The exercise, prominently reported in the Washington Post Monday morning, is to start Thursday near the Russian city of Vladivostok, before moving to the Yellow Sea and China's Shandong Province.

The simulated land, sea and air operation would "seize a beachhead on China's Shandong peninsula in advance of an inland offensive" according to a senior Russian military official quoted by the Post.

INTERDICTION

The Russians would "deploy strategic, long-range bombers, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, which will fire cruise missiles at targets," on the surface of the sea, the report says.

As part of the strategy, the exercise would try to "prevent the vessels of any other countries from approaching the area" of the operations, the Post quoted a Russian military official as saying.

The Pentagon, in its recent annual report on Chinese military modernization, has painted a picture of a Chinese attack on Taiwan in similar terms to the description of the joint Russian-Chinese exercised planned for next week.

Most Washington academics and other China specialists agree that such plans would be elements in any Chinese attack on Taiwan, including efforts to prevent the US from coming to Taiwan's aid militarily and the reliance on some 700 ballistic missiles deployed against Taiwan.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters that the US has been "advised" about the Chinese-Russian exercises and "we are following the exercises."

But he said that the US would not be observing the joint Chinese-Russian exercises.

He asserted that the White House expects the exercises "will be conducted in a manner that supports the mutual goal of regional stability shared by the US, Russia and China."

Asked whether the US is concerned about the planned exercise in view of Russia's increasing supply of sophisticated weapons to China, McCormack said only, "we would hope that anything they do is not something that would be disruptive to the current atmosphere in the region."

McCormack did not mention Taiwan in his remarks.

TAIWAN FACTOR

The planned operation is well north of Taiwan, because Beijing was unsuccessful in efforts to get Russia to agree to hold it closer to the country, the Post cites Russian reports as saying.

"China tries to put the Taiwan question into every issue, but for Russia that was never the purpose of the exercises," the Post quotes a Moscow think tank analyst, Dmitry Kormilitsyn, as saying.

The exercise will simulate a mission to aid a state where law and order has broken down because of terrorist violence, the report said.

However, Beijing's official Xinhua news agency painted the joint exercise as strengthening China and Russia's capabilities in "jointly striking international terrorism, extremism or separatism."

The use of the word, "separatism," indicated Beijing might try to enlist Moscow's support through the joint military exercises in its effort to retake Taiwan, the Post report noted.

UNCONCERNED

Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) played down the joint exercise, saying only that it wasn't "real."

MND Spokesman Rear Admiral Liu Chih-chien (劉志堅) yesterday said the China-Russia joint drill is not really a "joint drill" because the two countries hadn't formed a joint command for the exercise. As a result, the two militaries would operate independently in the drill, Liu added.

Liu said that since Russia proposed using strategic bombers to join the drill, the MND thinks the purpose of Russia joining the military exercise is to promote its advanced strategic arms to China, one of its biggest arms markets.

Liu said the MND would closely follow the exercise.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/arch...8/17/2003268023

[battleship]

interesting article,
however, since i am here in the usa. the russian president is actaully really close friends with president Bush. I seriously doubt ussr will fire any weapons at the united states. the US has invested billions into the russian economy and since both russia and USA is primarily composed of white folks. they would never fight over taiwan.
china must really lack confidence going up against the US military, this must be why china is trying so hard to get the russian's help.
it seems to me china really needs to "get a life". china must have too much spare time and don't what to do in their spare time. running around threatening other foreign nations. i am sure the russians are thinking " china, what an idiot, hey as long as they continue to buy our weapons and we can make money, that is all that counts. "

[battleship]

in fact china is actually really stupid. willing to take on america over a tiny nation of taiwan.
china is making alot of stupid threats of nuking all cities east of shenzhen, or threating to nuke the US in 1996.
the reality is the USA has the capacity to make a hole in asia so big (where china used to be). That will be the end of the Han race. No scientist will ever be able to find any traces of DNA, that the Han ever existed on earth.
china is putting their 1.3 billion peasants in harms way over one tiny independent foreign nation of Taiwan.
China has always been under lousy managment. New china and old china is exactly the same. they still have ruling methods from the middle ages (1200 b.c.).
Mainland chinese politics continue to go in circles. you just can't teach an old dog new tricks.

[yajthaugluv]

It's about unfinish business and it's none of US's business. They can do the same to the US too. Everyone dies...Don't think that bunkers will withstand such powerful weapons.

This post has been edited by yajthaugluv: Aug 20 2005, 05:46 PM

[PepsiCola]

It's about unfinish business and it's none of US's business. They can do the same to the US too. Everyone dies...Don't think that bunkers will withstand such powerful weapons.

I think their missiles can reach the West Coast, but it is not accurate. The only reason why the US is not willing to fight with China is because of the damage it will cause. China doesn't have the capability to destroy all of the US.

[battleship]

It's about unfinish business and it's none of US's business. They can do the same to the US too. Everyone dies...Don't think that bunkers will withstand such powerful weapons.

what unfinished business are you talking about? china is using the civil war from 1949 to justify another war with taiwan. those military folks from 1949 are all dead already. that was 2 generations ago. that is an EXCUSE to attack another foreign independent nation, this is the year 2005.
hey, did china us a bulldozer under the ocean and scoop up soil to form taiwan? NO.
did china us a crane to make mountains and rivers to make taiwan? NO.
did china even plant one tree and one grass in taiwan? NO.
therefore, china has NO authorization , NO right to claim Taiwan.
we taiwanese built taiwan, taiwan belongs to only taiwanese.
you and china need to get a life.

[battleship]

It's about unfinish business and it's none of US's business. They can do the same to the US too. Everyone dies...Don't think that bunkers will withstand such powerful weapons.

you should also know, china and mainland chinese is all bark no bite. toooooo afraid to even fire one bullet. just look at africa, they are fighting each other every day. china is just tooooo afraid. HIDING in beijing, making phony threats. sounds like a real coward to me.

[kunomchu]

why instigate? The PRC is happy with the status quo. As long as taiwanese leaders don't declare independence, they status quo may remain for another 50+ years. Those "threats" are just warnings to the taiwanese leadership.

[Suijen]

you should also know,  china and mainland chinese is all bark no bite.  toooooo afraid to even fire one bullet.  just look at africa,  they are fighting each other every day.  china is just tooooo afraid.  HIDING in beijing, making phony threats.  sounds like a real coward to me.

Would you prefer that the PRC act right now against Taiwan?

[kunomchu]

battleship double posts too much

[intestine_treasu...]

u know the one thing i like about china...mou xie countries always attempt to conjure up something to make it sidetrack or make it furious or make it fall yeh blah blah they ignore and continue their own thing and they get stronger as long as they know ignoring these particular circumstances wont make mou xie countries impact on them too much......dont know how to explain it

[battleship]

why instigate? The PRC is happy with the status quo. As long as taiwanese leaders don't declare independence, they status quo may remain for another 50+ years. Those "threats" are just warnings to the taiwanese leadership.

actually the PRC is not happy with the statuo quo. just look at history, border constantly shift back and fourth , back and fourth. it is a never ending circle.
but, it does not matter what the PRC thinks. cuz, they will never be able to do anything about the US-japanese military alliance. what the PRC is doing is DIVERT attention away from many social problems in china to create natioalism. if not 1.3 billion chinese will start to protest, against corruption and injustice from govt officials. banks going bankrupt. , lack of good medical care, lack of clean environment ( i went to china 7 times, there are no trees in china. they don't plant trees there. how awful). all the manufacturing factories are making alot of pullition and dumping it everywhere, causing cancer and birth defects, for many future generations. thousands of coal miners die every year, when mines collapse., natural disaters. just to name a few.
yes, your CCP has selected the perfect victim , Taiwan, to divert attention from all social problems. you all are fools to follow them. only a jack @$$ would follow a carrot and go in circles.
ha ha ha ha!!

[kunomchu]

lol ok. how about this, we start lobbying for an invasion.

[Metier9]

ok, this taiwan thing keeps going around in endless circles. I think its stupid for china to make war over taiwan. Lets say it does, lets say US then attacks back. Ok, so you got china and us fighting a war, correct?. Now lets look at the other countries floating around. basically Europe (im not gonna say EU). European countries always some how get involved in wars whether they want to or not. as im from the uk il take the uk example. Say uk gets involved for what ever reason, to play a spin doctor china does something very uncivilised (not saying they would). Uk declares war blah blah blah, now uk out of any country in the world has the most allies. Yes its not as strong as it once was. But i say got 80& chance the former commonwealth will get involved, not sure about india here, but if india decided to declare war on china, to put it simply all that lot and chinas on a road to pain. Ok, so china tells its population to stop/kill whatever any foreigner and they then start making mass guerilla movements by example.. now china needs to pray to "whatever" that the the foreign countries dont get too pissed off and just to put it to a point exterminate the population to X degree. If a war happens the first bit of land to be conquered will end up being part of china, because it will start on chinas doorstep not usa or anywhere else. O yer the reason why i included india was they have a massive population as well and the fact chinas land and resources are easier to reach than the usas or X europe country, so more than likely they will have a go at china. Every country around china will be forced to choose sides. ive lost where i was going now so aaaa screw it cant be arsed now.

Before someone calls me racist or something else stupid under the sun, i live with my chinese gf X amount of the time. So if i was racist i would not do that would i? Im just giving a little general idea.

Basically its stupid for US and China to go to war over taiwan, just leave them be or is it because chinas worried they will look weak or other places will do the same? Look at the uk by example we gave back control to our colonies to the own countries people.

Bored now zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. i did not spell check either.

[kunomchu]

who cares if your g/f is chinese. its not stupid for china to go after taiwan. its stupid for us to get involved.

[Metier9]

i said that because there are alot of people on this forum who just go racist when they have nothing to say. Youve been here long enough to realise this. Just leave taiwan be. I dont want a war anyway, but the trouble who could with democratic countries they protect each other. if you really want to blame someone for democracy blame the uk, it started here properly. english civil war.

[kunomchu]

i said that because there are alot of people on this forum who just go racist when they have nothing to say. Youve been here long enough to realise this. Just leave taiwan be. I dont want a war anyway, but the trouble who could with democratic countries they protect each other. if you really want to blame someone for democracy blame the uk, it started here properly. english civil war.

ehh no. The US doesn't care about Taiwan. It cares about containment.

[taiwan_honbura]

^Same goes for China.

[kunomchu]

containment of whom?

[Suijen]

The statement that the US will protect Taiwan simply because it is a democracy is simply false. If the PRC were democratic, does that instantly give it an excuse to invade Taiwan? What if Taiwan were not democratic, but was favorable of the US? It is a matter of containment, pure and simple. If the PRC were extremely favorable to the US, the US would probably assist the PRC in unifying Taiwan.