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After the US
Congress was handed two major reports, including
one from the Pentagon, dealing with a buildup of
weapons in mainland China, Asia Times Online
examined the issue and separated fact from
fiction.
Making a meal of it
A
Pentagon report on China's military buildup has
sparked interest largely because of a perceived
threat to the security of Taiwan. Yet
David Isenberg observes that
there is little hard news in the report, whose
real purpose may be more political than
instructive, while Ehsan Ahrari
remarks on the insight the report offers into
how the US and Chinese military establishments
feed off each other. (Jul 17,
'02)
 The
PLA, the Pentagon, and
politics
China
and the US: Parry and
thrust
Taiwan:
Armed to the teeth
A
recent US decision to allow the transfer of
AMRAAM air-to-air missiles to Taiwan caused an
uproar. But that deal is only part of a gigantic
weapons procurement picture. Strengthened ties
to Washington have ensured that Taipei's already
formidable arsenal will get bigger all the time.
- David Isenberg (Jul 18, '02)
Security
report: Caution or
confusion?
Just three
days after a Pentagon report to the US Congress
detailed the state of China's military arsenal
and its potential threat to US interests in East
Asia, a report by a government commission voiced
many of the same concerns. But questions remain
about whether these reports are timely warnings
or, as one dissenting commissioner said, mere
"paranoia". - David
Isenberg (Jul 22, '02)
A
question of strategy
Some
have dismissed the latest Pentagon report on
Beijing's military buildup as alarmist, pointing
out that for all its size, China possesses a
"hollow military". These critics assume that
Chinese leaders would not dare to use force
while the military balance is against them. This
is a flawed and dangerous assumption. -
Stanley Chan (Jul
23, '02)
Taiwan defense: Finger on the 'enter'
key
The threat of war with the mainland is
nothing new for Taiwan, but the form such a
battle would likely take is very different from
in the past, argues Taipei's latest White Paper
on defense: the cross-Strait war, if it comes,
will be high-tech. But as before, Taiwan's best
defense will be a good offense. -
David Isenberg(Aug 13,
'02)
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