The government is extremely concerned about a US Pentagon report on Beijing's military power and strategy released on Friday, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday.
The MND, however, refrained from making any comments on the latest Pentagon assessment on China's military build-up tabled in the US Congress.
"The ROC is not in a position to comment on the report because it is the US government's internal evaluation," said an MND official who preferred anonymity.
The official further said the MND attaches great importance to the Pentagon report and will carefully study it after obtaining a full original copy.
"We'll then re-evaluate and forecast the possible development in the Taiwan Strait and adjust our defense policy as well as military build-up and deployment plans to cope with the new situation," the official said.
According to the Pentagon report, the Chinese military is increasing the number of short-range missiles aimed at Taiwan as it focuses military preparations on a possible clash with Taiwan involving the US.
The report neither predicts a Chinese attempt to win control of Taiwan by force nor dismisses the possibility. But it says China's army is buying the kinds of weapons that could be used in a pre-emptive strike. These include cruise missiles and ballistic missiles of longer ranges and greater accuracy.
"The warning time for missile launches most likely will decrease as China expands its missile force opposite Taiwan," the Pentagon report said.
The report says China is strengthening its military on a broad front but, despite having a far larger armed forces, would still face "significant shortcomings" in a conflict with Taiwan, even a decade from now.
Over the coming five years, the report says, the 2.4 million-strong Chinese army will have "only a limited capability" to conduct offensive operations against Taiwan in a way that effectively combines air, sea and land forces, adding that China's naval, air and ground troops are not a cohesive combat force.
In the longer term -- in the 2010 to 2020 period, the report says, China could gain a greater edge over Taiwan in both the quality and quantity of its military forces. At that point, the report notes, Taiwan's success in deterring Beijing's aggression will depend on its ability to acquire and operate modern arms and technology.
Commenting on the Pentagon report, a senior military officer, who demanded anonymity, said the ROC has long singled out 2005 as a critical period for military balance between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
The officer said that Premier Tang Fei (
"The plan was based on the prediction that if China maintains its current pace of military build-up while Taiwan drags its feet modernizing its defense technology, then China would gradually gain supremacy in the Taiwan Strait from 2005," the officer noted.
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