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China Gaining Military Edge Over Taiwan - Defence Ministry Report

Posted on: Monday, 20 March 2006, 09:00 CST

Text of report by S.C. Chang in English by Taiwanese Central News Agency website

Taipei, 20 March: China is gaining an edge over Taiwan as it has laid an "advantageous" foundation for invading the island, according to a Ministry of National Defence (MND) report released Monday [20 March].

Director Liang Kung-kai of the MND's Department of Strategic Planning made the statement in a special report to the Legislative Yuan's National Defence Committee.

The report looked at the issue from three perspectives: China's intentions, military capability and war preparedness.

Liang said the greatest menace China poses to Taiwan is a possible "blitzkrieg attack" involving tactical and cruise missiles targeted at Taiwan's political, economic and military installations.

China has deployed more than 800 tactical and cruise missiles targeting Taiwan and is developing more than 10 guided missiles and two surface-to-air cruise missiles, he noted.

Another threat to Taiwan is China's submarine fleet which could blockade sea traffic to and from the island, Liang said.

In addition to its 70-odd warships and nearly 80 submarines, China is also carrying out five programmes to modernize its underwater fleet which could be used to blockade Taiwan's ports for an extended period of time, according to Liang.

He pointed out that China's air force has more than 400 new- generation fighter jets equipped with long-range and smart missiles that are capable of attacking air space over eastern Taiwan from a distance of 600 nautical miles.

His report was entitled "The necessity of acquiring P-3C anti- submarine aircraft and submarines and the combat readiness of the ROC armed forces." Together with the Patriot III anti-missile batteries, there are three weapons systems the Democratic Progressive Party government has been seeking to purchase from the United States.

However, the opposition "pan-blue alliance" of the Kuomintang and the People First Party, which enjoys a slight majority in the legislature, has persistently blocked the government bill from getting on the legislative agenda.

Liang said although the weapons are badly needed by the armed forces and would substantively boost the nation's defence capabilities, they're just a part of the MND's overall defence plan.

To ensure the nation's security, he said, the country needs all sorts of weapons and facilities for air, sea and land defence as well as an information network and command and control systems.

Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

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