jward
passin' thru
How far do you think is "not far off" ... granted all we have is guesstimates, but this is my first rodeo...
WAR CHINA THREATENS TO INVADE TAIWAN
- Thread starter danielboon
- Start date
How far do you think is "not far off" ... granted all we have is guesstimates, but this is my first rodeo...
northern watch
TB Fanatic
Plain Jane posted on the "The Winds of War Blow in Korea and The Far East" thread In "Blunt Message" China Warns It Might Detain Americans If US Prosecutes PLA-Linked Academics. Relations between China and US are going south really fast, I would say to answer your question within eight months
jward
passin' thru
US official says amphibious assault of Taiwan difficult for China
National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien says Taiwan Strait too wide, too few accessible beaches
By Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
2020/10/17 16:58
Exercise by Taiwan Marines (CNA photo)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — It would be tough for China to conduct a successful amphibious landing in Taiwan due to the distance and lack of accessible beaches, United States National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said Friday (Oct. 16).
Speaking at a virtual edition of the Aspen Security Forum, the White House official emphasized the difficulties due to a distance of more than 100 kilometers between China and Taiwan. Also, the existence of just four or five beaches suitable for amphibious landings.
He estimated the communist country still needed 10 to 15 years before it had an attack force strong enough to make such an attempt, CNA reported. Turning to another possible form of attack, O’Brien said China’s missiles could destroy Taiwan, but that would not necessarily benefit Beijing as the international community would react with revulsion.
The Trump administration official called on Taiwan to strengthen its defenses and make any hostile operations too costly for China to consider.
www.taiwannews.com.tw
National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien says Taiwan Strait too wide, too few accessible beaches
By Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
2020/10/17 16:58
Exercise by Taiwan Marines (CNA photo)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — It would be tough for China to conduct a successful amphibious landing in Taiwan due to the distance and lack of accessible beaches, United States National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said Friday (Oct. 16).
Speaking at a virtual edition of the Aspen Security Forum, the White House official emphasized the difficulties due to a distance of more than 100 kilometers between China and Taiwan. Also, the existence of just four or five beaches suitable for amphibious landings.
He estimated the communist country still needed 10 to 15 years before it had an attack force strong enough to make such an attempt, CNA reported. Turning to another possible form of attack, O’Brien said China’s missiles could destroy Taiwan, but that would not necessarily benefit Beijing as the international community would react with revulsion.
The Trump administration official called on Taiwan to strengthen its defenses and make any hostile operations too costly for China to consider.
US official says amphibious assault of Taiwan difficult for China | Taiwan News | 2020-10-17 16:58:00
National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien says Taiwan Strait too wide, too few accessible beaches.China would find it tough to conduct a successful amphibious landing in Taiwan due to the distance and the lack of accessible beaches, United States National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said...
www.taiwannews.com.tw
jward
passin' thru
humm.
Taiwan official in hospital after alleged 'violent attack' by Chinese diplomats in Fiji
Alleged incident, which comes amid soaring tensions between Beijing and Taipei occurred at a reception in Suva to mark Taiwan’s national day
The alleged incident between Chinese and Taiwanese officials took place at a Taipei Trade Office reception at Suva’s Grand Pacific Hotel on 8 October. Photograph: ITPhoto/Alamy Stock Photo
Supported by
About this content
Ben Doherty Pacific Editor, Sheldon Chanel in Suva, Helen Davidson in Taipei and Lily Kuo in Beijing
Mon 19 Oct 2020 01.40 EDT
Last modified on Mon 19 Oct 2020 07.41 EDT
415
A physical altercation between Chinese and Taiwanese diplomats in Fiji has left a Taiwanese official in hospital with a head injury and again highlighted tensions between Beijing and Taipei in their struggle for influence across the Pacific.
In furious statements on Monday the rival foreign ministries accused each other’s diplomats of attacking their Fiji-based staff at a reception marking Taiwan’s national day on 8 October at hotel in the capital, Suva. Beijing considers Taiwan to be a part of China, and is highly sensitive to any apparent recognition of Taiwanese sovereignty by other governments, such as supporting National Day celebrations.
Taiwan’s ministry of foreign affairs said two Chinese embassy officials arrived at the Grand Pacific Hotel uninvited and began “harassing” and trying to photograph the guests which included Fijian ministers, foreign diplomats, NGO representatives and members of Fiji’s ethnic Chinese community.
Taiwan loses second ally in a week as Kiribati switches to China
Read more
Taiwanese staff confronted the officials and a fight broke out, with one Taiwanese official injured severely enough that he required treatment at hospital for head injuries, Taiwan’s ministry and multiple sources at the scene said. Police were called to the hotel but sources have told the Guardian the Chinese officials claimed diplomatic immunity.
Taiwan accused the Chinese officials of falsely telling Fijian police they had been attacked by the Taiwanese personnel and said it “strongly condemned the serious violations of the rule of law and civilised norms by the staff of the Chinese Embassy in Fiji.”
But in a regular press briefing in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the reports were “completely inconsistent” with the facts and that one of its own embassy staff in Suva had been injured.
Zhao said Taiwan was attempting to cover up its misdeeds by blaming others and said it was a “thief crying ‘stop thief’.” In response to a question from a reporter regarding a fight between diplomats, Zhao replied: “First of all, Taiwan does not have any so-called diplomats in Fiji.”
He said the event was a “serious violation of the one-China policy” and has requested Fiji investigate after it expressed serious concerns to the government.
“The facts are that the Taiwan trade office openly held a ‘national day’ event and openly displayed the flag of a ‘false country’ and had that false country flag on a cake as well,” Zhao said.
He claimed Fiji “expressed that it attaches great importance to China’s concerns and will abide by the ‘one China principle’ and handle the incident appropriately.”
An earlier statement from China’s embassy in Suva, reiterated by Zhao, said the staff of the Taipei trade office in Fiji had “acted provocatively against the Chinese embassy staff who were carrying out their official duties in the public area outside the function venue, causing injuries and damage to one Chinese diplomat”.
.
A spokeswoman for the Fiji police said a complaint had been lodged by the Chinese embassy against a Taiwanese official, alleging Chinese diplomats were assaulted when they tried to enter the venue.
Taiwan’s trade office in Suva has meanwhile lodged an official note of protest with the Fiji ministry of foreign affairs and trade, and has also requested Fiji police investigate the incident and strengthen security for Taiwanese diplomats.
Beijing-Taipei tensions being played out across the region. The Pacific was formally a bastion of support for Taiwan, but since 2019, Beijing has managed to “flip” both Solomon Islands and Kiribati into offering formal recognition and breaking off diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Taiwan retains formal relations with four Pacific countries - Nauru, Palau, the Marshall Islands, and Tuvalu - though not Fiji.
On Monday Tseng Ho-jen, Taiwan’s deputy minister of foreign affairs told Taiwan’s parliament he condemned the allegedly “irrational behaviour” of Beijing’s overseas personnel, and it was “extremely regrettable” that the Chinese staff had disrupted their “peaceful” event.
Taiwanese legislator and member of the ruling Democratic Progressive party, Wang Ting-yu, said he was “appalled and outraged”.
“We can’t let China bully its way into doing whatever it wants,” Wang, who is also co-chair of the foreign affairs and defence committee, said. “Our diplomats in Fiji have my full support.”
Larry Tseng, the head of the ministry’s East Asia and Pacific affairs department, said he believed the Chinese were trying to work out whether any Fijian politicians were present at the event.
The deepening tensions between Taipei and Beijing have erupted previously at Pacific fora. In 2017, a meeting of the Kimberley Process - dealing with trade in conflict diamonds - hosted by the Australian foreign minister in Perth had to be suspended when members of the Chinese delegation interrupted speakers demanding to know if all guests at the talks had been “formally invited”.
China extends influence in Pacific as Solomon Islands break with Taiwan
Read more
A Taiwanese delegation who had been invited to the meeting was then ejected at the insistence of the Chinese delegates.
And in 2018, the president of Nauru, hosting the Pacific Islands Forum, said a Chinese envoy to the forum was “insolent” and a “bully” for demanding to speak out of turn during a leaders’ meeting.
The acrimonious Suva event this month was hosted by Taiwan’s representative, Jessica Lee, to highlight Fijian and Taiwanese cooperation in agriculture, fisheries, education and medicine over five decades.
Two Fijian government ministers, fisheries minister Semi Koroilavesau, and assistant youth and sports minister Alipate Nagata, along with opposition leader Sitiveni Rabuka, a number of opposition MPs and prominent business people attended the event.
It is rare to see government ministers at Taiwanese events because of Fiji’s close diplomatic ties with China, whose investment in the country amounted to US$1.08bn over the last five years.
This figure dwarfs Taiwan’s contribution, although Taipei is regarded as an unofficial partner largely working with grassroots communities and private sector organisations in the country.
posted for fair use
www.theguardian.com
Taiwan official in hospital after alleged 'violent attack' by Chinese diplomats in Fiji
Alleged incident, which comes amid soaring tensions between Beijing and Taipei occurred at a reception in Suva to mark Taiwan’s national day
The alleged incident between Chinese and Taiwanese officials took place at a Taipei Trade Office reception at Suva’s Grand Pacific Hotel on 8 October. Photograph: ITPhoto/Alamy Stock Photo
Supported by
About this content
Ben Doherty Pacific Editor, Sheldon Chanel in Suva, Helen Davidson in Taipei and Lily Kuo in Beijing
Mon 19 Oct 2020 01.40 EDT
Last modified on Mon 19 Oct 2020 07.41 EDT
415
A physical altercation between Chinese and Taiwanese diplomats in Fiji has left a Taiwanese official in hospital with a head injury and again highlighted tensions between Beijing and Taipei in their struggle for influence across the Pacific.
In furious statements on Monday the rival foreign ministries accused each other’s diplomats of attacking their Fiji-based staff at a reception marking Taiwan’s national day on 8 October at hotel in the capital, Suva. Beijing considers Taiwan to be a part of China, and is highly sensitive to any apparent recognition of Taiwanese sovereignty by other governments, such as supporting National Day celebrations.
Taiwan’s ministry of foreign affairs said two Chinese embassy officials arrived at the Grand Pacific Hotel uninvited and began “harassing” and trying to photograph the guests which included Fijian ministers, foreign diplomats, NGO representatives and members of Fiji’s ethnic Chinese community.
Taiwan loses second ally in a week as Kiribati switches to China
Read more
Taiwanese staff confronted the officials and a fight broke out, with one Taiwanese official injured severely enough that he required treatment at hospital for head injuries, Taiwan’s ministry and multiple sources at the scene said. Police were called to the hotel but sources have told the Guardian the Chinese officials claimed diplomatic immunity.
Taiwan accused the Chinese officials of falsely telling Fijian police they had been attacked by the Taiwanese personnel and said it “strongly condemned the serious violations of the rule of law and civilised norms by the staff of the Chinese Embassy in Fiji.”
But in a regular press briefing in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the reports were “completely inconsistent” with the facts and that one of its own embassy staff in Suva had been injured.
Zhao said Taiwan was attempting to cover up its misdeeds by blaming others and said it was a “thief crying ‘stop thief’.” In response to a question from a reporter regarding a fight between diplomats, Zhao replied: “First of all, Taiwan does not have any so-called diplomats in Fiji.”
He said the event was a “serious violation of the one-China policy” and has requested Fiji investigate after it expressed serious concerns to the government.
“The facts are that the Taiwan trade office openly held a ‘national day’ event and openly displayed the flag of a ‘false country’ and had that false country flag on a cake as well,” Zhao said.
He claimed Fiji “expressed that it attaches great importance to China’s concerns and will abide by the ‘one China principle’ and handle the incident appropriately.”
An earlier statement from China’s embassy in Suva, reiterated by Zhao, said the staff of the Taipei trade office in Fiji had “acted provocatively against the Chinese embassy staff who were carrying out their official duties in the public area outside the function venue, causing injuries and damage to one Chinese diplomat”.
.
A spokeswoman for the Fiji police said a complaint had been lodged by the Chinese embassy against a Taiwanese official, alleging Chinese diplomats were assaulted when they tried to enter the venue.
Taiwan’s trade office in Suva has meanwhile lodged an official note of protest with the Fiji ministry of foreign affairs and trade, and has also requested Fiji police investigate the incident and strengthen security for Taiwanese diplomats.
Beijing-Taipei tensions being played out across the region. The Pacific was formally a bastion of support for Taiwan, but since 2019, Beijing has managed to “flip” both Solomon Islands and Kiribati into offering formal recognition and breaking off diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Taiwan retains formal relations with four Pacific countries - Nauru, Palau, the Marshall Islands, and Tuvalu - though not Fiji.
On Monday Tseng Ho-jen, Taiwan’s deputy minister of foreign affairs told Taiwan’s parliament he condemned the allegedly “irrational behaviour” of Beijing’s overseas personnel, and it was “extremely regrettable” that the Chinese staff had disrupted their “peaceful” event.
Taiwanese legislator and member of the ruling Democratic Progressive party, Wang Ting-yu, said he was “appalled and outraged”.
“We can’t let China bully its way into doing whatever it wants,” Wang, who is also co-chair of the foreign affairs and defence committee, said. “Our diplomats in Fiji have my full support.”
Larry Tseng, the head of the ministry’s East Asia and Pacific affairs department, said he believed the Chinese were trying to work out whether any Fijian politicians were present at the event.
The deepening tensions between Taipei and Beijing have erupted previously at Pacific fora. In 2017, a meeting of the Kimberley Process - dealing with trade in conflict diamonds - hosted by the Australian foreign minister in Perth had to be suspended when members of the Chinese delegation interrupted speakers demanding to know if all guests at the talks had been “formally invited”.
China extends influence in Pacific as Solomon Islands break with Taiwan
Read more
A Taiwanese delegation who had been invited to the meeting was then ejected at the insistence of the Chinese delegates.
And in 2018, the president of Nauru, hosting the Pacific Islands Forum, said a Chinese envoy to the forum was “insolent” and a “bully” for demanding to speak out of turn during a leaders’ meeting.
The acrimonious Suva event this month was hosted by Taiwan’s representative, Jessica Lee, to highlight Fijian and Taiwanese cooperation in agriculture, fisheries, education and medicine over five decades.
Two Fijian government ministers, fisheries minister Semi Koroilavesau, and assistant youth and sports minister Alipate Nagata, along with opposition leader Sitiveni Rabuka, a number of opposition MPs and prominent business people attended the event.
It is rare to see government ministers at Taiwanese events because of Fiji’s close diplomatic ties with China, whose investment in the country amounted to US$1.08bn over the last five years.
This figure dwarfs Taiwan’s contribution, although Taipei is regarded as an unofficial partner largely working with grassroots communities and private sector organisations in the country.
posted for fair use
Taiwan official in hospital after alleged 'violent attack' by Chinese diplomats in Fiji
Alleged incident, which comes amid soaring tensions between Beijing and Taipei occurred at a reception in Suva to mark Taiwan’s national day
www.theguardian.com
Freeholder
This too shall pass.
Someone posted in a group on MeWe that the Chinese have threatened Canadians resident in China if Canada doesn't stop allowing in refugees from Hong Kong. The link is to Twitter:
View: https://twitter.com/Noahpinion/status/1316891261463191552
Then in a comment to that post, someone else added that China was also threatening Americans in China for the same reason. No link for that information.
Not sure this is the right thread for this information, but was the first thread about China that came up.
Kathleen
Then in a comment to that post, someone else added that China was also threatening Americans in China for the same reason. No link for that information.
Not sure this is the right thread for this information, but was the first thread about China that came up.
Kathleen
As noted, China's treatment of Hong Kong has alerted the Taiwan types of their future under China. China could obliterate them but to what end? And there is no way they are going to invade without ramping up so much along the shore ahead of time that even the fishermen will notice, let alone our satellites.
I am beginning to appreciate even more why Trump has positioned navy assets near Taiwan, given the massive turmoil that will develop from the release of information from Hunter Biden's laptop(s) and other sources.
He needs to block Commie China from invading Taiwan while the U.S. explodes from now through Jan 2021.
But you all know that.
He needs to block Commie China from invading Taiwan while the U.S. explodes from now through Jan 2021.
But you all know that.
northern watch
TB Fanatic
Defense Experts Blast Biden’s Taiwan Policy
Biden, advisers have sought to cut back support for key U.S. ally
Vice President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Li Yuanchao / AP
Jack Beyrer - October 20, 2020 5:00 AM
Free Beacon
Former vice president Joe Biden’s willingness to abandon the Trump administration's efforts to strengthen Taiwan could create major problems in the region and bolster China, defense experts say.
"I don't have very high expectations," said Heritage Foundation national security expert James Jay Carafano. "China will have a lot of cards to play."
"Taiwan is the new Hong Kong, it’s the new canary in the mineshaft," Carafano continued. "For the West not to stand up for Taiwan is a really strong signal that you’re not really going to push back on the Chinese anywhere."
Biden’s own record on Taiwan, as well as the public writings of his top foreign-policy surrogates and advisers, hints at potentially dangerous policies for both the United States and Taiwan. In 2001, Biden authored an op-ed arguing that U.S. support for the country could "draw us into a war across the Taiwan Strait." Meanwhile, recent editorials from some of
Biden’s top Indo-Pacific advisers spell out a vision for Taiwan that would downplay U.S. military backing, cut defense spending, and rely on more flexible deterrence to counter Beijing. Zack Cooper, China scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, said such measures would only fuel Chinese ambitions in the region.
"You will see some serious downward pressure on the defense budget," Cooper told the Washington Free Beacon. "I think the Democrats know that this is going to be a real tension."
Carafano lodged similar complaints. "The problem with our enemies is that they can all count," he said. "We can do all this stuff about how we are going to be smarter on defense…. That has zero impact on great-power competition."
The Biden campaign did not return a request for comment about Democrats' past handling of Taiwan, including his eight-year tenure as vice president. Obama and his Asia hands struggled with Taiwanese-U.S. relations, loath to do anything besides the "bare minimum," according to Carafano. The administration could not forge a free trade agreement and was generally reluctant to send senior diplomats to Taiwan. In contrast, the Trump administration sent two senior-level executive branch officials to Taiwan in 2020 and is moving to secure Taiwan's first free trade agreement with Washington.
Obama acted on an "engage and hedge" strategy on Beijing, which meant to cooperate with China on key issues, but to dissuade the Chinese Communist Party when it made decisions contrary to American interests. Experts anticipate a similar "compete but hedge" strategy from the Biden camp, which they say does little to recognize a new era of great-power competition.
"Their whole bumper-sticker idea is coexistence with China," said Indo-Pacific expert at the American Foreign Policy Council Michael Sobolik. "What we’re going to need to be ready for is China not approaching that in good faith."
Taiwan has been a major player in supporting the offshoring of American industry from China, and a critical ally in the effort against the Chinese Communist Party. To abandon this ally, experts warned, could signal trouble for the future of global democracy. Beijing continues to improve its capabilities to invade Taiwan. The regime has already conducted war games in anticipation of overtaking the island nation.
Sobolik told the Free Beacon that a pick-and-choose strategy effectively undermines a key U.S. ally to counter Chinese influence. Experts also said that Biden’s Taiwan platform is in tension with two other key areas: readiness to defend Taiwan and cooperating with allies and partners.
"The Chinese Communist Party is an existential threat to the exercise of the First Amendment to the Constitution," Sobolik said. "The American people need to understand that the same regime that is threatening our free speech at home, is also threatening the political survival of a fellow democracy in Asia, a democracy that stands with the United States resolutely."
Allies and partners would also suffer from a pivot away from Taiwan, experts told the Free Beacon. From the Czech Republic to Japan, allies have significantly increased their public overtures toward Taiwan—a fellow democracy unwilling to bow to Beijing—in a larger effort led by Washington. If a future Biden administration walks back that support, Cooper said, it raises questions about "whether democracies are going to be able to survive or whether they are going to face coercive or even military pressure by China."
Biden's past approach to China and Taiwan is at odds with the message that he has advanced on the campaign trail.
Disengagement on Taiwan would run afoul of a major plank of the Biden foreign-policy platform: better relationships with allies and partners, Carafano told the Free Beacon.
"They say they want to work more with allies, and do everything opposite what Trump did. Those statements are not logically consistent," he warned. "The reality is that we have worked better with allies in Asia, all of whom are increasing their engagement with Taiwan. By walking away from many of the commitments that this administration has done, we’re actually going to be teeing off from allies."
Though a potential Biden administration could consider Taiwan a secondary regional issue, experts made clear that the stakes could not be higher. China has long laid claim to the island, but Biden advisers have made past comments that downplay the threat to Taiwan that China has historically posed.
"What we need to do now is to encourage patience on all sides, but particularly in Beijing," Biden adviser Kurt Campbell said in a 2001 interview. Campbell also said that Mao Zedong had "unusual patience" when it came to diplomacy with Taiwan.
Mao, however, was the same leader who chose to take military action against Taiwan in both 1954 and 1958. During the 1958 conflict—which nearly sparked a global nuclear crisis—Mao told then-Soviet foreign minister Andrei Gromyko he believed the Chinese could withstand a nuclear war with Washington by retreating to the interior of China. Even the Soviets were taken aback by Mao's boundless aggression in his hopes to retake Taiwan.
Chinese president Xi Jinping does little to separate himself from Mao in his determination to seize Taiwan. Last week, Xi told Chinese marines to prepare for war.
"Put all [your] minds and energy on preparing for war," Xi told Chinese troops. "[Be] absolutely loyal, absolutely pure, and absolutely reliable."
freebeacon.com
Biden, advisers have sought to cut back support for key U.S. ally
Vice President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Li Yuanchao / AP
Jack Beyrer - October 20, 2020 5:00 AM
Free Beacon
Former vice president Joe Biden’s willingness to abandon the Trump administration's efforts to strengthen Taiwan could create major problems in the region and bolster China, defense experts say.
"I don't have very high expectations," said Heritage Foundation national security expert James Jay Carafano. "China will have a lot of cards to play."
"Taiwan is the new Hong Kong, it’s the new canary in the mineshaft," Carafano continued. "For the West not to stand up for Taiwan is a really strong signal that you’re not really going to push back on the Chinese anywhere."
Biden’s own record on Taiwan, as well as the public writings of his top foreign-policy surrogates and advisers, hints at potentially dangerous policies for both the United States and Taiwan. In 2001, Biden authored an op-ed arguing that U.S. support for the country could "draw us into a war across the Taiwan Strait." Meanwhile, recent editorials from some of
Biden’s top Indo-Pacific advisers spell out a vision for Taiwan that would downplay U.S. military backing, cut defense spending, and rely on more flexible deterrence to counter Beijing. Zack Cooper, China scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, said such measures would only fuel Chinese ambitions in the region.
"You will see some serious downward pressure on the defense budget," Cooper told the Washington Free Beacon. "I think the Democrats know that this is going to be a real tension."
Carafano lodged similar complaints. "The problem with our enemies is that they can all count," he said. "We can do all this stuff about how we are going to be smarter on defense…. That has zero impact on great-power competition."
The Biden campaign did not return a request for comment about Democrats' past handling of Taiwan, including his eight-year tenure as vice president. Obama and his Asia hands struggled with Taiwanese-U.S. relations, loath to do anything besides the "bare minimum," according to Carafano. The administration could not forge a free trade agreement and was generally reluctant to send senior diplomats to Taiwan. In contrast, the Trump administration sent two senior-level executive branch officials to Taiwan in 2020 and is moving to secure Taiwan's first free trade agreement with Washington.
Obama acted on an "engage and hedge" strategy on Beijing, which meant to cooperate with China on key issues, but to dissuade the Chinese Communist Party when it made decisions contrary to American interests. Experts anticipate a similar "compete but hedge" strategy from the Biden camp, which they say does little to recognize a new era of great-power competition.
"Their whole bumper-sticker idea is coexistence with China," said Indo-Pacific expert at the American Foreign Policy Council Michael Sobolik. "What we’re going to need to be ready for is China not approaching that in good faith."
Taiwan has been a major player in supporting the offshoring of American industry from China, and a critical ally in the effort against the Chinese Communist Party. To abandon this ally, experts warned, could signal trouble for the future of global democracy. Beijing continues to improve its capabilities to invade Taiwan. The regime has already conducted war games in anticipation of overtaking the island nation.
Sobolik told the Free Beacon that a pick-and-choose strategy effectively undermines a key U.S. ally to counter Chinese influence. Experts also said that Biden’s Taiwan platform is in tension with two other key areas: readiness to defend Taiwan and cooperating with allies and partners.
"The Chinese Communist Party is an existential threat to the exercise of the First Amendment to the Constitution," Sobolik said. "The American people need to understand that the same regime that is threatening our free speech at home, is also threatening the political survival of a fellow democracy in Asia, a democracy that stands with the United States resolutely."
Allies and partners would also suffer from a pivot away from Taiwan, experts told the Free Beacon. From the Czech Republic to Japan, allies have significantly increased their public overtures toward Taiwan—a fellow democracy unwilling to bow to Beijing—in a larger effort led by Washington. If a future Biden administration walks back that support, Cooper said, it raises questions about "whether democracies are going to be able to survive or whether they are going to face coercive or even military pressure by China."
Biden's past approach to China and Taiwan is at odds with the message that he has advanced on the campaign trail.
Disengagement on Taiwan would run afoul of a major plank of the Biden foreign-policy platform: better relationships with allies and partners, Carafano told the Free Beacon.
"They say they want to work more with allies, and do everything opposite what Trump did. Those statements are not logically consistent," he warned. "The reality is that we have worked better with allies in Asia, all of whom are increasing their engagement with Taiwan. By walking away from many of the commitments that this administration has done, we’re actually going to be teeing off from allies."
Though a potential Biden administration could consider Taiwan a secondary regional issue, experts made clear that the stakes could not be higher. China has long laid claim to the island, but Biden advisers have made past comments that downplay the threat to Taiwan that China has historically posed.
"What we need to do now is to encourage patience on all sides, but particularly in Beijing," Biden adviser Kurt Campbell said in a 2001 interview. Campbell also said that Mao Zedong had "unusual patience" when it came to diplomacy with Taiwan.
Mao, however, was the same leader who chose to take military action against Taiwan in both 1954 and 1958. During the 1958 conflict—which nearly sparked a global nuclear crisis—Mao told then-Soviet foreign minister Andrei Gromyko he believed the Chinese could withstand a nuclear war with Washington by retreating to the interior of China. Even the Soviets were taken aback by Mao's boundless aggression in his hopes to retake Taiwan.
Chinese president Xi Jinping does little to separate himself from Mao in his determination to seize Taiwan. Last week, Xi told Chinese marines to prepare for war.
"Put all [your] minds and energy on preparing for war," Xi told Chinese troops. "[Be] absolutely loyal, absolutely pure, and absolutely reliable."
Defense Experts Blast Biden's Taiwan Policy
Former vice president Joe Biden’s willingness to abandon the Trump administration's efforts to strengthen Taiwan could create major problems in the region and bolster China, defense experts say.
freebeacon.com
Last edited:
The worse this gets the more likely we are going to see nukes be involved in the dao rattling and seen as part of the "solution" by all intetested parties involved.
Yes the PRC can pull off an invasion, but a "cold start" action is nearly impossible.
And once the initial force was across the straits, their logistics train, leading right up to the mainland, would be teed up which would escalate things things immediately. Never mind the guaranteed interdiction of regional resistance assets.
It would make August to December 1914 look glacial by comparison.
Yes the PRC can pull off an invasion, but a "cold start" action is nearly impossible.
And once the initial force was across the straits, their logistics train, leading right up to the mainland, would be teed up which would escalate things things immediately. Never mind the guaranteed interdiction of regional resistance assets.
It would make August to December 1914 look glacial by comparison.
northern watch
TB Fanatic
northern watch
TB Fanatic
northern watch
TB Fanatic
northern watch
TB Fanatic
AlfaMan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I wouldn't put it past China to make an overture, or a complete move on the ROC on Taiwan the day of the US election. Something to rattle us, perhaps.
When Pres Trump does get reelected, there's one foreign trip I'd love to see him make. Yep, go meet with President Tsai of the ROC. The Chinese would, for lack of a better word, sh*t bricks.................Even if the US doesn't officially recognize the ROC, a state level visit there would give Winnie the Xi a massive stroke. I like that idea.
When Pres Trump does get reelected, there's one foreign trip I'd love to see him make. Yep, go meet with President Tsai of the ROC. The Chinese would, for lack of a better word, sh*t bricks.................Even if the US doesn't officially recognize the ROC, a state level visit there would give Winnie the Xi a massive stroke. I like that idea.
Meadowlark
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Taiwan needs to go nuclear
AlfaMan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I'd think they already have, or have all the components built and in place, ready to put them together like Lego blocks.
jward
passin' thru
Indo-Pacific News
@IndoPac_Info
8m
#Taiwan's Pratas atoll declared 'danger zone' as #Chinese combat planes fly over #Beijing is showing increasing interest in the isolated Pratas (also known as Tungsha or Dongsha) atoll – one of Taiwan's few #SouthChinaSea outposts.
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1318743217383198720?s=20
The Pratas atoll marine park is some 440km from Taiwan's southernmost city. It's 340km from Hong Kong. But its position at a Junction Point between the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait (between Taiwan and the Philippines) gives it a degree of strategic significance.
This is because it sits on the path between Chinese forces based on Hainan Island & China's south coast to the Pacific & East China Sea. Pratas is garrisoned by 200 Taiwanese Coast Guard and Marine personnel, there to defend Taipei's ownership and enforce maritime reserve laws.
@IndoPac_Info
8m
#Taiwan's Pratas atoll declared 'danger zone' as #Chinese combat planes fly over #Beijing is showing increasing interest in the isolated Pratas (also known as Tungsha or Dongsha) atoll – one of Taiwan's few #SouthChinaSea outposts.
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1318743217383198720?s=20
The Pratas atoll marine park is some 440km from Taiwan's southernmost city. It's 340km from Hong Kong. But its position at a Junction Point between the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait (between Taiwan and the Philippines) gives it a degree of strategic significance.
This is because it sits on the path between Chinese forces based on Hainan Island & China's south coast to the Pacific & East China Sea. Pratas is garrisoned by 200 Taiwanese Coast Guard and Marine personnel, there to defend Taipei's ownership and enforce maritime reserve laws.
jward
passin' thru
Pratas atoll declared 'danger zone' as Chinese combat planes fly over
20 Oct, 2020 01:36 PM4 minutes to read
/cloudfront-ap-southeast-2.images.arcpublishing.com/nzme/3CYKUL7SYJ2VEAAN5CIR3Q6ZFU.jpg "Pratas island is a tiny group of atolls between China and Taiwan. Photo / Supplied")
Pratas island is a tiny group of atolls between China and Taiwan. Photo / Supplied
news.com.au
By: Jamie Seidel
It's just a bunch of coral. But Pratas atoll between Taiwan and China has been declared a "danger zone" as combat aircraft ply the skies overhead.
Beijing is showing increasing interest in the isolated Pratas (also known as Tungsha or Dongsha) atoll – one of Taiwan's few South China Sea outposts.
Beijing's ongoing campaign of testing Taipei's air defences has fallen into a pattern in recent weeks. Provocative crossings of the Median Line between the two nations are rare but significant. Instead, isolating the remote outcrop of coral appears to be one focus of China's assertive actions.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force has conducted more than 225 intrusions into Taiwan's self-declared Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) between Taiwan and the island so far this year.
Then, late last week, attempts to send a civilian aircraft on a regular resupply mission to the island was denied by Hong Kong air traffic control. The Pratas atoll was a "danger zone", the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department said. "The danger zone is now valid until further notice."
Now, the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan is again making its presence felt in the South China Sea – the third time so far this year.
Strategic hub
The Pratas atoll marine park is some 440km from Taiwan's southernmost city. It's 340km from Hong Kong. But its position at a Junction Point between the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait (between Taiwan and the Philippines) gives it a degree of strategic significance. This is because it sits on the path Chinese forces based on Hainan Island and China's south coast to the Pacific and East China Sea.
The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, now subject to Beijing's strict National Security laws, reports new DF-17 'carrier killer' missiles have been deployed along the coasts of China's Guangdong, Fujian and Zhejiang provinces.
Read More
Pratas atoll is garrisoned by some 200 Taiwanese Coast Guard and Marine personnel, there to defend Taipei's ownership and enforce maritime reserve laws. The coral outcrop is one of the few in the South China Sea unspoilt by Beijing's artificial island fortress building campaign.
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Escape route
Its proximity to Hong Kong has made Pratas atoll a potential escape route for pro-democracy activists seeking to flee retribution from the Chinese Communist Party.
One such incident involved the rescue of five people attempting to reach the islands by the Taiwanese Coast Guard in July. Another 12 were arrested by Chinese authorities trying to do the same thing in August.
/cloudfront-ap-southeast-2.images.arcpublishing.com/nzme/BFFPBODLT35WD6KCT2NHJVMRDE.jpg "This People's Liberation Army Air Force Y-8 antisubmarine aircraft was intercepted flying near Pratas island on October 11, 2020. Photo / Taiwan Ministry of National Defence")
This People's Liberation Army Air Force Y-8 antisubmarine aircraft was intercepted flying near Pratas island on October 11, 2020. Photo / Taiwan Ministry of National Defence
Beijing has since moved to crack down on such attempts to escape its new National Security Law that declares any dissent in the once semi-autonomous city to be insurgency.
Project 2049 Institute think-tank analyst Jessica Drun told the US-government controlled Radio Free Asia she believes the overflights and escape attempts may be linked. Beijing could be "sending a message to Taipei not to intervene or support Hong Kong democracy activists," she said.
"The Hong Kong factor could be used as a convenient and timely pretext for increased surveillance around Pratas, as well as any further escalation."
Marking territory
China has been actively surveying the islands and the surrounding waters. Most aircraft intrusions have been by surveillance aircraft, including those designed for anti-submarine and electronic warfare roles. But Chinese survey and fishing militia vessels have also been active in the region.
The Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and its battlegroup passed close by as Beijing practised storming beaches in May. In June, the Chinese State Oceanic Administration survey ship Hai Yang Di Zhi 9 conducted a deep-sea geological survey to the south of the atoll. A similar survey last year mapped its north and east.
It's all part of a campaign to pressure the democratically elected president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, into a more compliant relationship with Beijing.
Instead, Taipei has now resolved to send more aircraft to patrol the area and deploy additional anti-aircraft missiles and radar systems.
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posted for fair use
/cloudfront-ap-southeast-2.images.arcpublishing.com/nzme/3CYKUL7SYJ2VEAAN5CIR3Q6ZFU.jpg)
www.nzherald.co.nz
20 Oct, 2020 01:36 PM4 minutes to read
news.com.au
By: Jamie Seidel
It's just a bunch of coral. But Pratas atoll between Taiwan and China has been declared a "danger zone" as combat aircraft ply the skies overhead.
Beijing is showing increasing interest in the isolated Pratas (also known as Tungsha or Dongsha) atoll – one of Taiwan's few South China Sea outposts.
Beijing's ongoing campaign of testing Taipei's air defences has fallen into a pattern in recent weeks. Provocative crossings of the Median Line between the two nations are rare but significant. Instead, isolating the remote outcrop of coral appears to be one focus of China's assertive actions.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force has conducted more than 225 intrusions into Taiwan's self-declared Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) between Taiwan and the island so far this year.
Then, late last week, attempts to send a civilian aircraft on a regular resupply mission to the island was denied by Hong Kong air traffic control. The Pratas atoll was a "danger zone", the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department said. "The danger zone is now valid until further notice."
Now, the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan is again making its presence felt in the South China Sea – the third time so far this year.
Strategic hub
The Pratas atoll marine park is some 440km from Taiwan's southernmost city. It's 340km from Hong Kong. But its position at a Junction Point between the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait (between Taiwan and the Philippines) gives it a degree of strategic significance. This is because it sits on the path Chinese forces based on Hainan Island and China's south coast to the Pacific and East China Sea.
The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, now subject to Beijing's strict National Security laws, reports new DF-17 'carrier killer' missiles have been deployed along the coasts of China's Guangdong, Fujian and Zhejiang provinces.
Read More
- Jamie Seidel: Most dangerous month for Americans in 2020 - NZ Herald
- Covid 19 coronavirus: Jamie Seidel - Ignorance is why US faces 100,000 new infections every day...
- Xi Jinping tells China marine corps to prepare for war - NZ Herald
- Comment: Why the US could no longer win a war against China - NZ Herald
Pratas atoll is garrisoned by some 200 Taiwanese Coast Guard and Marine personnel, there to defend Taipei's ownership and enforce maritime reserve laws. The coral outcrop is one of the few in the South China Sea unspoilt by Beijing's artificial island fortress building campaign.
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China's military beefs up coastal forces as it prepares for possible invasion of Taiwan
18 Oct, 2020 02:28 AMQuick Read
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'Prepare for war': China hits back
18 Oct, 2020 03:03 PMQuick Read
Escape route
Its proximity to Hong Kong has made Pratas atoll a potential escape route for pro-democracy activists seeking to flee retribution from the Chinese Communist Party.
One such incident involved the rescue of five people attempting to reach the islands by the Taiwanese Coast Guard in July. Another 12 were arrested by Chinese authorities trying to do the same thing in August.
Beijing has since moved to crack down on such attempts to escape its new National Security Law that declares any dissent in the once semi-autonomous city to be insurgency.
Project 2049 Institute think-tank analyst Jessica Drun told the US-government controlled Radio Free Asia she believes the overflights and escape attempts may be linked. Beijing could be "sending a message to Taipei not to intervene or support Hong Kong democracy activists," she said.
"The Hong Kong factor could be used as a convenient and timely pretext for increased surveillance around Pratas, as well as any further escalation."
Marking territory
China has been actively surveying the islands and the surrounding waters. Most aircraft intrusions have been by surveillance aircraft, including those designed for anti-submarine and electronic warfare roles. But Chinese survey and fishing militia vessels have also been active in the region.
The Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and its battlegroup passed close by as Beijing practised storming beaches in May. In June, the Chinese State Oceanic Administration survey ship Hai Yang Di Zhi 9 conducted a deep-sea geological survey to the south of the atoll. A similar survey last year mapped its north and east.
It's all part of a campaign to pressure the democratically elected president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, into a more compliant relationship with Beijing.
Instead, Taipei has now resolved to send more aircraft to patrol the area and deploy additional anti-aircraft missiles and radar systems.
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posted for fair use
'Danger zone': The tiny island China desperately wants
It's just a bunch of coral. But now combat jets ply the skies overhead.
www.nzherald.co.nz
jward
passin' thru
Three Chinese military planes enter Taiwan's ADIZ
Three Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan's southwest ADIZ on Tuesday
By Central News Agency
2020/10/21 09:32
J-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft. (CNA photo)
Three Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan's southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Tuesday, the 21st day such incursions have occurred since mid-September, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).
The ministry said the Chinese aircraft involved were a J-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, a Y-9 electronic warfare plane and a Y-8 anti-submarine plane.
According to the MND, the three planes entered the airspace between southwest Taiwan and the Taiwan-controlled Dongsha Islands, also known as the Pratas Islands, in the South China Sea.
Taiwan's Air Force responded by scrambling planes to monitor the Chinese aircraft, issuing radio warnings and mobilizing air defense systems, the MND said
An ADIZ is established by a country to allow identification, location and control of approaching foreign aircraft. However, no legal foundation for the system is explicitly stipulated in international law.
According to MND records, the incidents marked the 21st day on which such incursions had occured since Sept. 16, a day before the ministry began regularly publishing Chinese military movements on its website.
Three Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan's southwest ADIZ on Tuesday
By Central News Agency
2020/10/21 09:32
J-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft. (CNA photo)
Three Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan's southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Tuesday, the 21st day such incursions have occurred since mid-September, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).
The ministry said the Chinese aircraft involved were a J-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, a Y-9 electronic warfare plane and a Y-8 anti-submarine plane.
According to the MND, the three planes entered the airspace between southwest Taiwan and the Taiwan-controlled Dongsha Islands, also known as the Pratas Islands, in the South China Sea.
Taiwan's Air Force responded by scrambling planes to monitor the Chinese aircraft, issuing radio warnings and mobilizing air defense systems, the MND said
An ADIZ is established by a country to allow identification, location and control of approaching foreign aircraft. However, no legal foundation for the system is explicitly stipulated in international law.
According to MND records, the incidents marked the 21st day on which such incursions had occured since Sept. 16, a day before the ministry began regularly publishing Chinese military movements on its website.
Three Chinese military planes enter Taiwan's ADIZ | Taiwan News
northern watch
TB Fanatic
Taiwan official details China’s plan to solve Taiwan ‘problem’ by 2049: US military journal
Xi would attempt to coordinate with Russia, Iran, North Korea to bog down US in multiple theaters: World Journal
By George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Taiwan News
2020/10/21 20:22
(Indo-Pacific Defense Forum photo)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The latest issue of the Indo-Pacific Defense Forum magazine, a military magazine published quarterly by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, carried an article detailing a presentation made by Taiwan’s National Security Bureau Deputy Director-General Chen Wen-fan’s (陳文凡) last October in Washington, D.C., which provides a comprehensive picture of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) plan to solve the Taiwan “problem” by 2049.
Taiwan forms an integral part of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) agenda, according to Chen.
The country is in a unique position vis-à-vis China, “the most powerful party-state in history [and one] that is determined to terminate Taiwan as it is.” He pointed out that in terms of psychological warfare, Taiwan has “a unique vulnerability because Mandarin Chinese is the common language for both China and Taiwan.”
“Today, the CCP’s Taiwan policy is guided by Xi’s five-point remarks in January 2019, which dictate the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) military coercion, external isolation of Taiwan, infiltration and subversion, United Front interaction, cyber activities and disinformation dissemination,” the magazine cited Chen as saying.
Against the backdrop of Xi having set a deadline of 2049 to solve the Taiwan problem, Chen cited a World Journal report that in January 2019 two Chinese scholars told a former U.S. intelligence official about Xi’s forceful unification plan by 2022.
They revealed that “Xi would work with Russia, Iran, and North Korea for coordination of a scenario in the Mideast and Northeast Asia to constrain intervening U.S. forces for Taiwan.”
Examples of some semblance of the elements of Xi’s plan include Russia’s Tu-95 bombers circling Taiwan proper for the first time on June 20; PLA air force and Russian aircraft jointly patrolling the East China Sea on July 23, 2019; North Korea conducting 11 short-range missile and submarine-launched ballistic missile tests as of October 2019; and Iran announcing a joint military exercise with China and Russia in the western Indian Ocean after the Saudi Arabia oil refinery attack in September 2019, according to Chen, who added that "the CCP’s role is still unclear, but there is some similarity with Xi’s plan."
The CCP has long been pursuing various forms of infiltration in Taiwan, having developed "a complete network of local governments across the strait where 24 business, media, and semi-official representatives in Taiwan cultivate a wide connection.”
The high-ranking Taiwan national security official also said that the CCP has launched an enormous amount of cyberattacks against Taiwan, cultivated influence in Taiwan’s media, and meddled with Taiwan’s elections dating back to the 1990s.
However, Chen pointed out that despite China’s effort to influence Taiwan’s public opinion, which might work in some instances, “It has failed to undermine sovereignty and national identity." Chen cited the results of a poll released by Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council in May 2019, which showed that 86 percent of respondents are against the so-called one country, two system formula.
Toward the end of his presentation, Chen thanked likeminded friends around the world for their support, and he thanked the U.S. in particular for passing the Taiwan Travel Act in 2018, the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2019, and the Taipei Act in 2020.
www.taiwannews.com.tw
Xi would attempt to coordinate with Russia, Iran, North Korea to bog down US in multiple theaters: World Journal
By George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Taiwan News
2020/10/21 20:22
(Indo-Pacific Defense Forum photo)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The latest issue of the Indo-Pacific Defense Forum magazine, a military magazine published quarterly by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, carried an article detailing a presentation made by Taiwan’s National Security Bureau Deputy Director-General Chen Wen-fan’s (陳文凡) last October in Washington, D.C., which provides a comprehensive picture of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) plan to solve the Taiwan “problem” by 2049.
Taiwan forms an integral part of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) agenda, according to Chen.
The country is in a unique position vis-à-vis China, “the most powerful party-state in history [and one] that is determined to terminate Taiwan as it is.” He pointed out that in terms of psychological warfare, Taiwan has “a unique vulnerability because Mandarin Chinese is the common language for both China and Taiwan.”
“Today, the CCP’s Taiwan policy is guided by Xi’s five-point remarks in January 2019, which dictate the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) military coercion, external isolation of Taiwan, infiltration and subversion, United Front interaction, cyber activities and disinformation dissemination,” the magazine cited Chen as saying.
Against the backdrop of Xi having set a deadline of 2049 to solve the Taiwan problem, Chen cited a World Journal report that in January 2019 two Chinese scholars told a former U.S. intelligence official about Xi’s forceful unification plan by 2022.
They revealed that “Xi would work with Russia, Iran, and North Korea for coordination of a scenario in the Mideast and Northeast Asia to constrain intervening U.S. forces for Taiwan.”
Examples of some semblance of the elements of Xi’s plan include Russia’s Tu-95 bombers circling Taiwan proper for the first time on June 20; PLA air force and Russian aircraft jointly patrolling the East China Sea on July 23, 2019; North Korea conducting 11 short-range missile and submarine-launched ballistic missile tests as of October 2019; and Iran announcing a joint military exercise with China and Russia in the western Indian Ocean after the Saudi Arabia oil refinery attack in September 2019, according to Chen, who added that "the CCP’s role is still unclear, but there is some similarity with Xi’s plan."
The CCP has long been pursuing various forms of infiltration in Taiwan, having developed "a complete network of local governments across the strait where 24 business, media, and semi-official representatives in Taiwan cultivate a wide connection.”
The high-ranking Taiwan national security official also said that the CCP has launched an enormous amount of cyberattacks against Taiwan, cultivated influence in Taiwan’s media, and meddled with Taiwan’s elections dating back to the 1990s.
However, Chen pointed out that despite China’s effort to influence Taiwan’s public opinion, which might work in some instances, “It has failed to undermine sovereignty and national identity." Chen cited the results of a poll released by Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council in May 2019, which showed that 86 percent of respondents are against the so-called one country, two system formula.
Toward the end of his presentation, Chen thanked likeminded friends around the world for their support, and he thanked the U.S. in particular for passing the Taiwan Travel Act in 2018, the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2019, and the Taipei Act in 2020.
Taiwan official details China’s plan to solve Taiwan ‘problem’ by 2049: US military journal | Taiwan News | 2020-10-21 20:22:00
Xi would attempt to coordinate with Russia, Iran, North Korea to bog down US in multiple theaters: Chinese scholars | 2020-10-21 20:22:00
www.taiwannews.com.tw
Hummmm.....the theater they are engaging in, if looked at thru Sun Tzu's lense, would seem to imply degrees of weakness. That is very dangerous, but we cannot respond in a manner remenicent of Chamberlain.
jward
passin' thru
Deven_Intel
@Deven_Intel
It appears the
@StateDept
has approved a $1B sale to #Taiwan of 135 AGM-84H standoff land attack missile expanded response missiles & related equipment. If this is for sure true it will likely cause outrage from #China.
View: https://twitter.com/BBCWorld/status/1319147629553590274?s=20
+++++++++++++
(this may mean that) Exciting. This means that TW will be able to destroy PLA warships before they leave their docks. The TW straight is only 130 km while AGM-84H's maximum range is 270 km.
story is included in it's entirety below:
US approves massive $1.8bn arms deal for Taiwan
Published
1 hour ago
image copyrightGetty Images
image captionTaiwan spends billions on weapons and defence every year
The US has approved arms sales to Taiwan worth around $1.8bn (£1.4bn), in a move that is likely to increase tensions with China.
The Pentagon said the deal comprised three weapons systems including rocket launchers, sensors and artillery.
Taiwan, which considers itself a country, is seen as a renegade province by China.
Tensions have increased in recent years and Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to take the island back.
Last week US national security adviser Robert O'Brien said that while he did not believe China was ready to invade Taiwan, the island needed to "fortify itself" for the future.
Taiwan's defence ministry said the weapons would help it "build credible combat capabilities and strengthen the development of asymmetric warfare".
The deal includes 135 precision-guided cruise missiles, as well as mobile light rocket launchers and air reconnaissance pods that can be attached to fighter jets.
In recent months, the US has been intensifying its outreach to Taiwan. In August, the highest-ranking US politician to visit Taiwan in decades met the island's president Tsai Ing-wen.
Beijing strongly criticised the meeting, warning the US "not to send any wrong signals to 'Taiwan independence' elements to avoid severe damage to China-US relations".
China has also stepped up military drills, seen as rehearsals for a possible invasion of Taiwan.
While the US does sell Taiwan arms, and has an implicit security guarantee, it does not have a formal defence treaty with Taiwan as it does with Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.
China and Taiwan were divided during a civil war in the 1940s but Beijing insists the island will be reclaimed at some point, by force if necessary.
Tensions have risen in recent years with the election of Ms Tsai as Taiwan's president, seen as an opponent of Beijing.
Last edited:
jward
passin' thru
AFP news agency
@AFP
8m
China threatens retaliation over US-Taiwan arms sale http://u.afp.com/3Hzd
Anti-landing spikes on the coast of Kinmen, the front line islands of Taiwan
View: https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1319431653899399169?s=20
@AFP
8m
China threatens retaliation over US-Taiwan arms sale http://u.afp.com/3Hzd
Anti-landing spikes on the coast of Kinmen, the front line islands of Taiwan
View: https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1319431653899399169?s=20
jward
passin' thru
China threatens retaliation over US-Taiwan arms sale
AFP News22 October 2020
A US-made F-16V fighter releases flares during a Taiwan military drill. Taipei says the US sale of air-to-ground missiles will build its combat capabilities
China on Thursday threatened to make a "legitimate and necessary" retaliation over the US sale of $1 billion worth of missiles to Taiwan as Beijing becomes increasingly strident over its claims to the self-ruled island.
The US State Department said on Wednesday it had approved the sale of 135 air-to-ground missiles to Taiwan in a move Taipei's defence ministry said would build its combat capabilities.
Democratic and self-ruled Taiwan lives under constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, whose leaders view the island as part of their territory.
They have vowed to one day seize the island, by force if necessary.
China's foreign ministry on Thursday accused the United States of violating agreements signed by Beijing and Washington in the 1970s establishing diplomatic relations between the two governments.
The sale is "sending a very wrong signal to separatist forces advocating for Taiwan independence, and seriously damages China-US relations," ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press briefing.
Zhao said China would "make a legitimate and necessary response depending how the situation evolves."
Ministry of National Defence spokesman Tan Kefei urged the US to stop military contact with Taiwan in order to avoid undesirable consequences in state and military relations with China, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Beijing has ramped up diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan since the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen, who views the island as a de facto sovereign nation and not part of "One China".
Chinese fighter jets and bombers have entered Taiwan's air defence zone with increasing frequency in recent months, while propaganda films have shown simulated attacks on Taiwan-like territories.
Meanwhile China has launched a diplomatic offensive aimed at courting Taiwan's few official allies.
Taipei has diplomatic relations with just 15 national governments currently.
The previous three US administrations were wary of big-ticket arms deals with Taipei for fear of incurring Beijing's wrath.
President Donald Trump has been much less squeamish about such sales, but his commitment to Taiwan's defence has been called into question by his "America First" doctrine and on-again, off-again affection for Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
tjx/apj/bfm/acb
What to read next
sg.news.yahoo.com
AFP News22 October 2020
A US-made F-16V fighter releases flares during a Taiwan military drill. Taipei says the US sale of air-to-ground missiles will build its combat capabilities
China on Thursday threatened to make a "legitimate and necessary" retaliation over the US sale of $1 billion worth of missiles to Taiwan as Beijing becomes increasingly strident over its claims to the self-ruled island.
The US State Department said on Wednesday it had approved the sale of 135 air-to-ground missiles to Taiwan in a move Taipei's defence ministry said would build its combat capabilities.
Democratic and self-ruled Taiwan lives under constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, whose leaders view the island as part of their territory.
They have vowed to one day seize the island, by force if necessary.
China's foreign ministry on Thursday accused the United States of violating agreements signed by Beijing and Washington in the 1970s establishing diplomatic relations between the two governments.
The sale is "sending a very wrong signal to separatist forces advocating for Taiwan independence, and seriously damages China-US relations," ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press briefing.
Zhao said China would "make a legitimate and necessary response depending how the situation evolves."
Ministry of National Defence spokesman Tan Kefei urged the US to stop military contact with Taiwan in order to avoid undesirable consequences in state and military relations with China, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Beijing has ramped up diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan since the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen, who views the island as a de facto sovereign nation and not part of "One China".
Chinese fighter jets and bombers have entered Taiwan's air defence zone with increasing frequency in recent months, while propaganda films have shown simulated attacks on Taiwan-like territories.
Meanwhile China has launched a diplomatic offensive aimed at courting Taiwan's few official allies.
Taipei has diplomatic relations with just 15 national governments currently.
The previous three US administrations were wary of big-ticket arms deals with Taipei for fear of incurring Beijing's wrath.
President Donald Trump has been much less squeamish about such sales, but his commitment to Taiwan's defence has been called into question by his "America First" doctrine and on-again, off-again affection for Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
tjx/apj/bfm/acb
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China threatens retaliation over US-Taiwan arms sale
China on Thursday threatened to make a "legitimate and necessary" retaliation over the US sale of $1 billion worth of missiles to Taiwan as Beijing becomes increasingly strident over its claims to the self-ruled island.
jward
passin' thru
Intelfeedia
@intelfeedia
10m
#UPDATE: China today threatened to make a "legitimate and necessary" retaliation over the US arms sale to #Taiwan. #China #CCP #ColdWar
Intelfeedia
@intelfeedia
US Congress has been notified of 3 arms sales to #Taiwan:
-64 tactical missiles along with 11 sets of mobile rocket systems.
-6 sets of MS-110 recon. pods for RF-16 aircraft
-135 units of precision guided missiles that can be launched from F-16s.
#China #ColdWar
@TheWarMonitor
@intelfeedia
10m
#UPDATE: China today threatened to make a "legitimate and necessary" retaliation over the US arms sale to #Taiwan. #China #CCP #ColdWar
Intelfeedia
@intelfeedia
US Congress has been notified of 3 arms sales to #Taiwan:
-64 tactical missiles along with 11 sets of mobile rocket systems.
-6 sets of MS-110 recon. pods for RF-16 aircraft
-135 units of precision guided missiles that can be launched from F-16s.
#China #ColdWar
@TheWarMonitor
northern watch
TB Fanatic
northern watch
TB Fanatic
This is a nice acquisition for Taiwan. Certainly not all that they need, and as far as the CCP is concerned, a mere bagatelle.
Communist China would be “upset” if America were selling Taiwan Girl Scout Cookies... They are, however, as inscrutable as they have been reputed to be, over the long centuries... They will turn anything to their advantage- ruthlessly so...
Anything we, America, send Taiwan, the list of CCP grievances will continue to grow- advancing toward their tipping point. Many factors will make-up the final equation, and the explosion, when it comes, will be their attempt to out do Pearl Harbor and it’s short term aftermath... It may not be their final move toward world domination, but they will seek to hold what they gain- regardless of the staggering death count that will emerge...
Lock & Load
OldArcher
jward
passin' thru
Thank you- for your insight, assessment, and most importantly (to me, a fellow reporter by avocation, if not current vocation, the gift of a word new to me. MmmMmm good stuff : )
(a thing of little importance; a very easy task.
"dealing with these boats was a mere bagatelle for the world's oldest yacht club")
jward
passin' thru
hmm. Always interesting when the retract n deny.. .n taiwan at that.
Air Force Confirms, Then Retracts Statement That One Of Its RC-135W Spy Planes Flew Over Taiwan
The United States has also just approved three arms deals for Taiwan, one of which includes short-range ballistic missiles that can hit the mainland.
ByJoseph TrevithickOctober 22, 2020
The U.S. Air Force has confirmed that an RC-135W Rivet Joint spy plane made a highly unusual flight over the northern end of the island of Taiwan earlier this week as part of an operational intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission. The United States has also just approved a new round of potential arms sales to the island's government, including short-range quasi-ballistic missiles capable of reaching the mainland. All of this follows a recent spate of threatening messaging from Beijing aimed at Taipei and its allies in Washington.
Update: On Oct. 23, 2020, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Tony Wickman, the Director of Public Affairs for Pacific Air Forces, reached out to The War Zone to say that the original confirmation of the RC-135W flying over Northern Taiwan had been in error.
"On Wednesday, my staff responded to your query regarding an RC-135 flight (link to story below) and I must inform you that what we gave you was incorrect," he said. "I would like to correct the record by stating we did not have any U.S. aircraft in that area on the date and time in question. I apologize for passing bad information to you as you attempted to provide accurate information to your readers."
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense has also reportedly denied that the Rivet Joint flew over the island. Taiwanese media reports have said that the RC-135W did enter the island's Air Defense Identification Zone.
We have changed the headline for this story to accurately reflect the information we have now. In addition, it is worth noting that online flight tracking software showed the RC-135W Rivet Joint with the serial number 62-4134 flying over northern Taiwan again today.
USAF MC-130J Spec Ops Transport Flies Through Taiwan Strait With U.S. Spy Plane NearbyBy Joseph Trevithick Posted in The War Zone
American Surveillance Aircraft Have Been Flooding Into The Airspace South Of Taiwan (Updated)By Joseph Trevithick Posted in The War Zone
Taiwan Displays Air-Launched Cruise Missiles At Air Base In Heart Of Taiwan StraitBy Thomas Newdick Posted in The War Zone
Chinese Fighters Cross Into Taiwan’s Side Of The Strait As High-Level U.S. Visit BeginsBy Jamie Hunter and Tyler Rogoway Posted in The War Zone
Taiwanese F-16s Begin Flying Patrols With Live Harpoon Anti-Ship Missiles To Deter ChinaBy Jamie Hunter Posted in The War Zone
"I can confirm that a RC 135W [sic] Rivet Joint aircraft did fly over the northern portion of Taiwan yesterday as part of a routine mission," a public officer for Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), the top Air Force command for operations in the Pacific region, told The War Zone in a statement late on Oct. 21, 2020. "Due to operational security we are not able to discuss the specifics of the mission."
Plane trackers using online flight tracking software had been first to notice the Rivet Joint's mission earlier that day. The available tracking data is limited, but suggests that the plane flew directly over the island's capital city, Taipei, at one point.
ADS-B Exchange
An overview image showing the RC-135W as it appeared on flight tracking software as it flew over northern Taiwan.
ADS-B Exchange
A close up showing tracks suggesting the RC-135W flew over Taipei during its mission.
Flight tracking software also showed that the aircraft in question was an RC-135W with the serial number 62-4134. On Oct. 19, this same Rivet Joint, as well as U.S. Navy EP-3E Aries II intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) plane, had been spotted flying a mission in the Bashi Channel, a body of water south of Taiwan that links the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, as well as off China's southern coastline. The Bashi Channel has seen a particularly notable uptick in U.S. military activity this year, which the War Zone has been following closely.
Though certainly uncommon, this is not the first time that an American military aircraft has flown directly over Taiwan this year. In August, online flight tracking software indicated that a Navy EP-3E had flown a very similar route, including passing over Taipei. In June, a Navy C-40 passenger transport aircraft also flew over the island. There have also been several instances in the last two years or so where U.S. military aircraft and ships have transited the Taiwan Strait.
Beyond this signaling, we don't know exactly what the Rivet Joint's mission in this particular case might have been.
Air Force Confirms, Then Retracts Statement That One Of Its RC-135W Spy Planes Flew Over TaiwanThe United States has also just approved three arms deals for Taiwan, one of which includes short-range ballistic missiles that can hit the mainland.
ByJoseph TrevithickOctober 22, 2020
The U.S. Air Force has confirmed that an RC-135W Rivet Joint spy plane made a highly unusual flight over the northern end of the island of Taiwan earlier this week as part of an operational intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission. The United States has also just approved a new round of potential arms sales to the island's government, including short-range quasi-ballistic missiles capable of reaching the mainland. All of this follows a recent spate of threatening messaging from Beijing aimed at Taipei and its allies in Washington.
Update: On Oct. 23, 2020, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Tony Wickman, the Director of Public Affairs for Pacific Air Forces, reached out to The War Zone to say that the original confirmation of the RC-135W flying over Northern Taiwan had been in error.
"On Wednesday, my staff responded to your query regarding an RC-135 flight (link to story below) and I must inform you that what we gave you was incorrect," he said. "I would like to correct the record by stating we did not have any U.S. aircraft in that area on the date and time in question. I apologize for passing bad information to you as you attempted to provide accurate information to your readers."
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense has also reportedly denied that the Rivet Joint flew over the island. Taiwanese media reports have said that the RC-135W did enter the island's Air Defense Identification Zone.
We have changed the headline for this story to accurately reflect the information we have now. In addition, it is worth noting that online flight tracking software showed the RC-135W Rivet Joint with the serial number 62-4134 flying over northern Taiwan again today.
USAF MC-130J Spec Ops Transport Flies Through Taiwan Strait With U.S. Spy Plane NearbyBy Joseph Trevithick Posted in The War Zone
American Surveillance Aircraft Have Been Flooding Into The Airspace South Of Taiwan (Updated)By Joseph Trevithick Posted in The War Zone
Taiwan Displays Air-Launched Cruise Missiles At Air Base In Heart Of Taiwan StraitBy Thomas Newdick Posted in The War Zone
Chinese Fighters Cross Into Taiwan’s Side Of The Strait As High-Level U.S. Visit BeginsBy Jamie Hunter and Tyler Rogoway Posted in The War Zone
Taiwanese F-16s Begin Flying Patrols With Live Harpoon Anti-Ship Missiles To Deter ChinaBy Jamie Hunter Posted in The War Zone
"I can confirm that a RC 135W [sic] Rivet Joint aircraft did fly over the northern portion of Taiwan yesterday as part of a routine mission," a public officer for Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), the top Air Force command for operations in the Pacific region, told The War Zone in a statement late on Oct. 21, 2020. "Due to operational security we are not able to discuss the specifics of the mission."
Plane trackers using online flight tracking software had been first to notice the Rivet Joint's mission earlier that day. The available tracking data is limited, but suggests that the plane flew directly over the island's capital city, Taipei, at one point.
ADS-B Exchange
An overview image showing the RC-135W as it appeared on flight tracking software as it flew over northern Taiwan.
ADS-B Exchange
A close up showing tracks suggesting the RC-135W flew over Taipei during its mission.
Flight tracking software also showed that the aircraft in question was an RC-135W with the serial number 62-4134. On Oct. 19, this same Rivet Joint, as well as U.S. Navy EP-3E Aries II intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) plane, had been spotted flying a mission in the Bashi Channel, a body of water south of Taiwan that links the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, as well as off China's southern coastline. The Bashi Channel has seen a particularly notable uptick in U.S. military activity this year, which the War Zone has been following closely.
That Rivet Joints, as well as other U.S. military ISR aircraft, are flying in this strategic part of the Pacific, in general, is hardly surprising. These activities in the region are relatively well known and caused something of a stir earlier this year, as well as an official rebuke from Chinese officials, over the apparent practice of RC-135s using bogus transponder codes, which, of course, does not hide the planes from enemy radars or really do much to conceal their flights, though it does obfuscate their movements on online tracking software.
Though certainly uncommon, this is not the first time that an American military aircraft has flown directly over Taiwan this year. In August, online flight tracking software indicated that a Navy EP-3E had flown a very similar route, including passing over Taipei. In June, a Navy C-40 passenger transport aircraft also flew over the island. There have also been several instances in the last two years or so where U.S. military aircraft and ships have transited the Taiwan Strait.
The RC-135W overflight, as well as the earlier flights over the island, are unusual and clearly seem designed to send a message to Beijing about America's commitments to the island's government. In 1979, the U.S. government formally recognized the regime in Beijing as the legitimate government of China, but Congress also passed the Taiwan Relations Act, reserving the right to support the island's military and come to its defense in a crisis until its status has been settled for good. The Chinese government's position is that it is a rogue province that is part of its national territory and that the airspace above it is sovereign national airspace.
Beyond this signaling, we don't know exactly what the Rivet Joint's mission in this particular case might have been.
jward
passin' thru
continued
However, the Air Force's fleet of airliner-sized RC-135V/Ws are among some of the most capable intelligence-gathering platforms in U.S. military service today, with large signals intelligence suites able to detect and geolocate various kinds of emitters, including radars and communications nodes.
With some two dozen intelligence analysts on board on a typical mission, these aircraft can intercept and begin to analyze enemy communications chatter and collect data on an opponent's “Electronic Order of Battle," including integrated air defenses. You can read more about the Rivet Joints and their capabilities in this past War Zone piece.
USAF
An overview of what the various members of a typical crew onboard an RC-135V/W during a mission do.
Keeping tabs on Chinese military activity on the coast of the mainland facing Taiwan is an important mission, broadly, for the United States, given its aforementioned commitments to Taipei. It's even more relevant at present given a slew of threatening signals emanating from the regime in Beijing, which routinely says it could take military action should authorities in Taipei seek to formally break away from the mainland.
Just this past weekend, unconfirmed reports originating from media outlets in Hong Kong said that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) was beefing up its ground-based missile forces near its southeastern coastline, including with the possible deployment of new hypersonic DF-17 missiles. Global Times, a newspaper operated by the Chinese Communist Party, subsequently published a piece based on those initial reports and citing Chinese "experts" who claimed that these deployments were meant to thwart "foreign military intervention" if the PLA were to initiate a "re-unification-by-force" operation.
China Military
DF-17 missiles on parade in October 2019.
This follows months of major PLA exercises, some of which appeared to simulate potential operations against Taiwan, as well as other provocative military activity, including sending aircraft across the Median Line in the Taiwan Strait, which serves as the de facto boundary between the mainland and the island. There have been competing U.S. military exercises, and other military movements, some of which have involved other American allies in the region, this year, as well.
This kind of tit-for-tat posturing has continued just in the past 24 hours with the announcement late yesterday that the U.S. government had approved a trio of potential arms sales to Taiwan. The three packages center on possible deliveries of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), AGM-84H Standoff Land Attack Missile-Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) missiles, and MS-110 podded reconnaissance systems for combat jets such as Taiwan's F-16 Viper fighters. The deals, which Taiwan will still have to formally agree to and could be subject to change as part of subsequent negotiations, are valued at more than $1.8 billion, combined, and include a variety of ancillary equipment and services.
The AGM-84Hs, a derivative of the Harpoon anti-ship missile, would offer Taiwan important additional capacity to engage threats across the Strait and elsewhere around the island in a crisis, while giving the launching aircraft the ability to stay further away from the PLA's integrated air defenses. The weapon, which despite its name can engage targets on land or at sea, is also highly-accurate and resistant to electronic warfare jamming due to the use of an imaging infrared seeker to find its target in the terminal phase of flight.
USN
A SLAM-ER missile under the wing of a US Navy F/A-18C/D Hornet during a test.
The MS-110s, which contain an advanced, long-range camera, will give Taiwanese combat jets important new reconnaissance capabilities, including potentially the ability to peer into the mainland to some degree from a standoff position using a slanted flight pattern. The multi-spectral camera system in the MS-110 can collect visual and infrared imagery, as well as fuse them together for greater fidelity. In addition, this means the camera can grab images at night, as well as during the day, and detect objects of interest that might be obscured by smoke and dust, as well as some man-made camouflage.
Collins Aerospace
A graphic from an MS-110 brochure showing the pod on an F-16 Viper, as well as the camera itself in the inset.
However, the HIMARS package may be the most significant of the three. The system is capable of firing various munitions from the common M142 launcher mounted on a 6x6 tactical truck, but the only ones that this proposed deal includes are 64 Army Tactical Missile System (ATAMCS) quasi-ballistic missiles with unitary high-explosive warheads. These missiles have a range of approximately 190 miles and would be easily able to reach coastal areas across the Strait, even from the center of the island. These weapons could be extremely valuable for engaging PLA artillery and ground-based missile systems, command and control nodes, supply dumps, as well as areas where invasion forces might be marshaling.
Of course, it's important to note that the PLA has a massive advantage in raw numbers, as well as various key systems, including ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles, over the Taiwanese military. The PLA's air and naval branches have also demonstrated their ability to launch strikes from multiple directions at once, including from out in the Pacific to the east, potentially enveloping the island. At the same time, Taiwan is well aware of these realities and has focused heavily on developing and acquiring various capabilities that could help delay a Chinese invasion to buy sufficient time for the U.S. military to stage an effective counter-intervention.
For their part, as expected, Chinese officials have already denounced the new proposed arms sales to Taiwan. The deals "seriously damage China's sovereignty and security interests, send a seriously wrong signal to Taiwan independence forces, and severely damage China-U.S. relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said. "China will make a legitimate and necessary response according to how the situation develops."
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has already incited the ire of Chinese authorities on multiple occasions in the past with the approval of other major arms deals for Taiwan, including the sale of Block 70 F-16C/D Viper fighter jets, which Beijing had long said was a "red line" issue. U.S. officials, including Trump himself, have cultivated a very close relationship with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing Wen who won reelection earlier this year and has pledged to further distance the island's institutions from the mainland.
AP
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing Wen together with other Taiwanese officials ahead of her inauguration ceremony in May 2020.
There could well be a concern in Beijing that Trump, who is struggling in the polls for the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, which will take place in a matter of weeks, might even just signal support for a greater independence push in Taiwan to bolster his domestic political position. The American President and his Administration have been highly critical of the Chinese government at times over the past four years, especially over international trade issues, as well as other geopolitical concerns, such as territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which originated in China, has further soured relations between the two countries.
Tsai herself may have her own concerns about possible changes in the island's relationship with officials in Washington should Trump lose to his challenger, former Vice President and Senator Joe Biden, in November.
What does seem clear, is that American actions, such as sending the RC-135W over Taiwan and approving new arms sales to the island's government, will continue to draw ire and tit-for-tat responses from Chinese authorities.
Contact the author: joe@thedrive.com
please see the original story for additional pictures and video
posted for fair use
www.thedrive.com
However, the Air Force's fleet of airliner-sized RC-135V/Ws are among some of the most capable intelligence-gathering platforms in U.S. military service today, with large signals intelligence suites able to detect and geolocate various kinds of emitters, including radars and communications nodes.
With some two dozen intelligence analysts on board on a typical mission, these aircraft can intercept and begin to analyze enemy communications chatter and collect data on an opponent's “Electronic Order of Battle," including integrated air defenses. You can read more about the Rivet Joints and their capabilities in this past War Zone piece.
USAF
An overview of what the various members of a typical crew onboard an RC-135V/W during a mission do.
Keeping tabs on Chinese military activity on the coast of the mainland facing Taiwan is an important mission, broadly, for the United States, given its aforementioned commitments to Taipei. It's even more relevant at present given a slew of threatening signals emanating from the regime in Beijing, which routinely says it could take military action should authorities in Taipei seek to formally break away from the mainland.
Just this past weekend, unconfirmed reports originating from media outlets in Hong Kong said that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) was beefing up its ground-based missile forces near its southeastern coastline, including with the possible deployment of new hypersonic DF-17 missiles. Global Times, a newspaper operated by the Chinese Communist Party, subsequently published a piece based on those initial reports and citing Chinese "experts" who claimed that these deployments were meant to thwart "foreign military intervention" if the PLA were to initiate a "re-unification-by-force" operation.
China Military
DF-17 missiles on parade in October 2019.
This follows months of major PLA exercises, some of which appeared to simulate potential operations against Taiwan, as well as other provocative military activity, including sending aircraft across the Median Line in the Taiwan Strait, which serves as the de facto boundary between the mainland and the island. There have been competing U.S. military exercises, and other military movements, some of which have involved other American allies in the region, this year, as well.
This kind of tit-for-tat posturing has continued just in the past 24 hours with the announcement late yesterday that the U.S. government had approved a trio of potential arms sales to Taiwan. The three packages center on possible deliveries of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), AGM-84H Standoff Land Attack Missile-Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) missiles, and MS-110 podded reconnaissance systems for combat jets such as Taiwan's F-16 Viper fighters. The deals, which Taiwan will still have to formally agree to and could be subject to change as part of subsequent negotiations, are valued at more than $1.8 billion, combined, and include a variety of ancillary equipment and services.
The AGM-84Hs, a derivative of the Harpoon anti-ship missile, would offer Taiwan important additional capacity to engage threats across the Strait and elsewhere around the island in a crisis, while giving the launching aircraft the ability to stay further away from the PLA's integrated air defenses. The weapon, which despite its name can engage targets on land or at sea, is also highly-accurate and resistant to electronic warfare jamming due to the use of an imaging infrared seeker to find its target in the terminal phase of flight.
USN
A SLAM-ER missile under the wing of a US Navy F/A-18C/D Hornet during a test.
The MS-110s, which contain an advanced, long-range camera, will give Taiwanese combat jets important new reconnaissance capabilities, including potentially the ability to peer into the mainland to some degree from a standoff position using a slanted flight pattern. The multi-spectral camera system in the MS-110 can collect visual and infrared imagery, as well as fuse them together for greater fidelity. In addition, this means the camera can grab images at night, as well as during the day, and detect objects of interest that might be obscured by smoke and dust, as well as some man-made camouflage.
Collins Aerospace
A graphic from an MS-110 brochure showing the pod on an F-16 Viper, as well as the camera itself in the inset.
However, the HIMARS package may be the most significant of the three. The system is capable of firing various munitions from the common M142 launcher mounted on a 6x6 tactical truck, but the only ones that this proposed deal includes are 64 Army Tactical Missile System (ATAMCS) quasi-ballistic missiles with unitary high-explosive warheads. These missiles have a range of approximately 190 miles and would be easily able to reach coastal areas across the Strait, even from the center of the island. These weapons could be extremely valuable for engaging PLA artillery and ground-based missile systems, command and control nodes, supply dumps, as well as areas where invasion forces might be marshaling.
Of course, it's important to note that the PLA has a massive advantage in raw numbers, as well as various key systems, including ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles, over the Taiwanese military. The PLA's air and naval branches have also demonstrated their ability to launch strikes from multiple directions at once, including from out in the Pacific to the east, potentially enveloping the island. At the same time, Taiwan is well aware of these realities and has focused heavily on developing and acquiring various capabilities that could help delay a Chinese invasion to buy sufficient time for the U.S. military to stage an effective counter-intervention.
For their part, as expected, Chinese officials have already denounced the new proposed arms sales to Taiwan. The deals "seriously damage China's sovereignty and security interests, send a seriously wrong signal to Taiwan independence forces, and severely damage China-U.S. relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said. "China will make a legitimate and necessary response according to how the situation develops."
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has already incited the ire of Chinese authorities on multiple occasions in the past with the approval of other major arms deals for Taiwan, including the sale of Block 70 F-16C/D Viper fighter jets, which Beijing had long said was a "red line" issue. U.S. officials, including Trump himself, have cultivated a very close relationship with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing Wen who won reelection earlier this year and has pledged to further distance the island's institutions from the mainland.
AP
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing Wen together with other Taiwanese officials ahead of her inauguration ceremony in May 2020.
There could well be a concern in Beijing that Trump, who is struggling in the polls for the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, which will take place in a matter of weeks, might even just signal support for a greater independence push in Taiwan to bolster his domestic political position. The American President and his Administration have been highly critical of the Chinese government at times over the past four years, especially over international trade issues, as well as other geopolitical concerns, such as territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which originated in China, has further soured relations between the two countries.
Tsai herself may have her own concerns about possible changes in the island's relationship with officials in Washington should Trump lose to his challenger, former Vice President and Senator Joe Biden, in November.
What does seem clear, is that American actions, such as sending the RC-135W over Taiwan and approving new arms sales to the island's government, will continue to draw ire and tit-for-tat responses from Chinese authorities.
Contact the author: joe@thedrive.com
please see the original story for additional pictures and video
posted for fair use
Air Force Confirms, Then Retracts Statement That One Of Its RC-135W Spy Planes Flew Over Taiwan
The United States has also just approved three arms deals for Taiwan, one of which includes short-range ballistic missiles that can hit the mainland.
www.thedrive.com
The F’n CCP has just threatened the US with war... We should decapitate their leadership, destroy their military, and initiate regime change now, with Taiwan being ruler and overseer... NOW!!!
Lock & Load!!!
OldArcher
jward
passin' thru
Well that does my upset tummy absolutely no good : (
jward
passin' thru
China threatens to send warplanes over Taiwan if USAF flies over country
China claims it will send fighter jets to 'defend sovereignty' if US Air Force flies planes over Taiwan
By Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
2020/10/26 12:33
H-6K bomber and Su-30 fighters. (PLA photo)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In response to recent reports that U.S. Air Force (USAF) spy planes have been flying directly over Taiwan, China is threatening to send its own warplanes to "defend sovereignty."
On Oct. 21, both Golf9 and Tokyo Radar reported that an RC-135W had flown over Taipei's airspace. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) described the tweets as "fake news" based on "erroneous settings by inexperienced aviation enthusiasts."
Two days later, on Oct. 23, multiple aircraft spotters again alleged that a USAF Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint electronic surveillance aircraft was flying over Taipei. An officer at the USAF's Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) that same day was cited by The War Zone as contradicting the MND's statement, saying the flight had taken place: "I can confirm that an RC 135W [sic] Rivet Joint aircraft did fly over the northern portion of Taiwan yesterday as part of a routine mission."
However, later that day the PACAF requested that The War Zone retract its report. The news site then cited Lieutenant Colonel Tony Wickman, PACAF director of public affairs, as saying, “We did not have any U.S. aircraft in that area on the date and time in question."
In response, China's state-run mouthpiece The Global Times on Oct. 24 ran an editorial by Editor in Chief Hu Xijin (胡錫進) claiming Wickman's retraction showed the U.S. and the "island of Taiwan realize the seriousness of such a flight." Hu then claimed that American military planes are "not allowed to fly over Taiwan."
He warned that if "concrete evidence" ever points to U.S. military aircraft having flown over Taiwan, the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) "would respond firmly with operations such as sending fighter jets into airspace over the island to defend our country's territorial sky."
Hu then claimed that if Chinese warplanes entered Taiwan's airspace, "the military structure in the Taiwan Straits [sic] would be reshaped," and he alleged that this would be "an important move toward reunification." He acknowledged the nearly daily flights by PLAAF aircraft into Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) and boasted that they had created "unprecedentedly high pressure on DPP authorities, who are obviously extremely frightened."
This alleged "fear" has led the Taiwanese authorities to twice deny a U.S. military operation over the country, claimed Hu. The editor warned that if an American military aircraft flies over Taiwan, it would "severely infringe on China's territorial airspace," and described such an action as a "redline" that "can't be budged."
Hinting at a possible response to such a U.S. military flight, Hu wrote that China has a "series of plans that would punish the Taiwan authorities." Among these plans, Hu cited the dispatch of "PLA jets on missions over the island."
In the event that a USAF jet enters Taiwan's airspace, Hu asserted that the PLAAF would deploy its fighter jets to "drive away US aircraft and defend national sovereignty." Hu said he did not believe that Taiwanese forces would dare to take the first shot but that if "the DPP authorities are willing to take such a reckless gamble, they should know they will not be spared."
The editor of the Chinese outlet stated that recent exercises by the PLA in the Taiwan Strait and the deployment of DF-17 hypersonic missiles on China's southeast coast "are in preparation for an escalation in the cross-Straits situation." Hu pledged that China's people would witness their government and army "destroy 'Taiwan secession,'" force the Taiwanese authorities to "behave," and "turn a new page in cross-Straits reunification."
Alluding to China's massive military buildup in recent years, Hu wrote that "Times have changed" and bragged that the PLA's war preparations have "greatly squeezed the room the DPP has to seek secession." He then closed by claiming Taiwan's leaders already know that they are "standing at the edge of a cliff."
posted for fair use
China threatens to send warplanes over Taiwan if USAF flies over country | Taiwan News | 2020-10-26 12:33:00
China claims it will send fighter jets to 'defend sovereignty' if US Air Force flies planes over Taiwan | 2020-10-26 12:33:00
www.taiwannews.com.tw
China threatens to send warplanes over Taiwan if USAF flies over country
China claims it will send fighter jets to 'defend sovereignty' if US Air Force flies planes over Taiwan
By Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
2020/10/26 12:33
H-6K bomber and Su-30 fighters. (PLA photo)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In response to recent reports that U.S. Air Force (USAF) spy planes have been flying directly over Taiwan, China is threatening to send its own warplanes to "defend sovereignty."
On Oct. 21, both Golf9 and Tokyo Radar reported that an RC-135W had flown over Taipei's airspace. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) described the tweets as "fake news" based on "erroneous settings by inexperienced aviation enthusiasts."
Two days later, on Oct. 23, multiple aircraft spotters again alleged that a USAF Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint electronic surveillance aircraft was flying over Taipei. An officer at the USAF's Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) that same day was cited by The War Zone as contradicting the MND's statement, saying the flight had taken place: "I can confirm that an RC 135W [sic] Rivet Joint aircraft did fly over the northern portion of Taiwan yesterday as part of a routine mission."
However, later that day the PACAF requested that The War Zone retract its report. The news site then cited Lieutenant Colonel Tony Wickman, PACAF director of public affairs, as saying, “We did not have any U.S. aircraft in that area on the date and time in question."
In response, China's state-run mouthpiece The Global Times on Oct. 24 ran an editorial by Editor in Chief Hu Xijin (胡錫進) claiming Wickman's retraction showed the U.S. and the "island of Taiwan realize the seriousness of such a flight." Hu then claimed that American military planes are "not allowed to fly over Taiwan."
He warned that if "concrete evidence" ever points to U.S. military aircraft having flown over Taiwan, the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) "would respond firmly with operations such as sending fighter jets into airspace over the island to defend our country's territorial sky."
Hu then claimed that if Chinese warplanes entered Taiwan's airspace, "the military structure in the Taiwan Straits [sic] would be reshaped," and he alleged that this would be "an important move toward reunification." He acknowledged the nearly daily flights by PLAAF aircraft into Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) and boasted that they had created "unprecedentedly high pressure on DPP authorities, who are obviously extremely frightened."
This alleged "fear" has led the Taiwanese authorities to twice deny a U.S. military operation over the country, claimed Hu. The editor warned that if an American military aircraft flies over Taiwan, it would "severely infringe on China's territorial airspace," and described such an action as a "redline" that "can't be budged."
Hinting at a possible response to such a U.S. military flight, Hu wrote that China has a "series of plans that would punish the Taiwan authorities." Among these plans, Hu cited the dispatch of "PLA jets on missions over the island."
In the event that a USAF jet enters Taiwan's airspace, Hu asserted that the PLAAF would deploy its fighter jets to "drive away US aircraft and defend national sovereignty." Hu said he did not believe that Taiwanese forces would dare to take the first shot but that if "the DPP authorities are willing to take such a reckless gamble, they should know they will not be spared."
The editor of the Chinese outlet stated that recent exercises by the PLA in the Taiwan Strait and the deployment of DF-17 hypersonic missiles on China's southeast coast "are in preparation for an escalation in the cross-Straits situation." Hu pledged that China's people would witness their government and army "destroy 'Taiwan secession,'" force the Taiwanese authorities to "behave," and "turn a new page in cross-Straits reunification."
Alluding to China's massive military buildup in recent years, Hu wrote that "Times have changed" and bragged that the PLA's war preparations have "greatly squeezed the room the DPP has to seek secession." He then closed by claiming Taiwan's leaders already know that they are "standing at the edge of a cliff."
posted for fair use
China threatens to send warplanes over Taiwan if USAF flies over country | Taiwan News | 2020-10-26 12:33:00
China claims it will send fighter jets to 'defend sovereignty' if US Air Force flies planes over Taiwan | 2020-10-26 12:33:00
I'm getting a feeling that the next deployment of that Patriot battery that was at College Station will be somewhere around Taipei to back up an air force expeditionary wing. Beijing is getting way too squirrelly for comfort right now.