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China Threatens Taiwan With Large Missile Arsenal, U.S. Officials Say
U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Meyers said today that China has deployed a “very large” ballistic missile arsenal against Taiwan, according to Agence France-Presse (see GSN, Dec. 17, 2003). “If you look at the buildup on the Chinese mainland side of the (Taiwan) Straits in terms of surface-to-surface missiles you would see a very large buildup. And China continues to build up its capability opposite Taiwan,” Meyers said during a press conference at the end of a two-day visit to China. Meyers also said that the United States is committed to helping Taiwan defend itself. “The U.S. is committed to helping Taiwan maintain its ability to resist the use of force or coercion to solve this problem,” he said (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Jan. 15). Meanwhile, Gen. William Begert, commander of the U.S. Air Force in the Pacific, told reporters this week that China has made “significant” improvements over the past three years in its ability to strike Taiwan with aircraft and surface-to-surface missiles. In addition, Begert said that China had “dramatically” improved its ability to coordinate air, land and sea attacks, as well as to conduct electronic warfare. “The Chinese, especially opposite the Taiwan Strait, are improving their capability and improving it pretty dramatically,” Begert said. “Whether Taiwan is keeping up with that is a good question,” he said (Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg.com, Jan. 13).
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