 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
China Fights U.S. ABM Sales To Taiwan
Washington (UPI) Sep 06, 2005 China has renewed its efforts to stop America selling missile defenses to Taiwan as the island republic moves closer to accepting an arms package offered by President George W. Bush. In a policy document on arms control approved by its cabinet on Sept. 1, China warned that supplying anti-ballistic missile defenses to Taiwan would be destabilizing and was firmly opposed by Beijing, the official Xinhua news agency said. The new document singled out the proposed American supply of six batteries of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles, intended to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles. Taiwan has already put into service three US-made PAC-2 anti-missile systems to protect the greater Taipei area, but has called for more help from the United States. "As the Taiwan question involves its core interests, China opposes the attempt by any country to provide help or protection to the Taiwan region of China in the field of missile defense by any means," it states. "China does not wish to see a missile defense system produce negative impact on global strategic stability ... erode trust among big powers or undermine legitimate security interests of other countries." But at the same time, the document restated China's policy that it would never be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict. Doubts had been raised by remarks made by Gen. Zhu Chenghu on July 14 to journalists in Hong Kong, in which he said China had no hope of prevailing in a conventional war with the United States. China should therefore withdraw the "no-first-use" pledge and use nuclear weapons should the United States attack the mainland in a conflict over Taiwan. Coming a week before Chinese President Hu Jintao is due to meet President Bush in Washington, the document may signal a new effort to find a compromise on U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, the Melbourne Age newspaper reported from Beijing. Hu's predecessor, Jiang Zemin, used a visit to Bush's Texas ranch in October 2002 to float the idea that China could reduce its array of missiles along the Taiwan Strait if Bush dropped his 2001 offer to supply the island with missiles, submarine-hunting aircraft, advanced destroyers and conventional submarines. That approach went nowhere, but Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian is struggling to get a funding bill for the arms deal through the legislature, which is controlled by parties opposed to a rearmament they feel could reinforce moves for permanent separation from China. Last week, the Taiwan Government said it would trim the proposed special arms budget to $11 billion from $15 billion, in an effort to push the bill through. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Missile Defense Program Moves Forward
Washington DC (AFPS) Jan 12, 2006The Missile Defense Agency continues to move forward in its efforts to protect the nation against a ballistic missile attack. The eighth ground-based interceptor missile was lowered into its underground silo at Fort Greely, Alaska, Dec. 18, 2005. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
