Sun, Apr 30, 2006 page3

• China can't invade: US admiral

  NOT YET The ex-head of US Pacific forces said China was not able to invade now, and that the US had told Beijing it would not shrink from cross-strait conflict

  • By Lo Tien-ping / STAFF REPORTER
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  China's military capability is not sufficient to allow it to take over Taiwan by force, the former commander-in-chief of the US Pacific Command Admiral Dennis Blair said yesterday.

  He made the remarks in a speech delivered at a forum on national defense hosted by the Institute for Taiwan Defense and Strategic Studies, a private think tank.

  Blair said that US officials, including himself, had repeatedly told Chinese officials that it was impossible for Beijing to force unification on Taiwan because of the limited capabilities of China's military, and that the US would not shrink from a cross-strait military conflict.

  

  Former commander-in-chief of the US Pacific Command Admiral Dennis Blair, right, walks with Deputy Minister of National Defense Michael Tsai after delivering a speech at a forum on national defense hosted by the Institute for Taiwan Defense and Strategic Studies, a private think tank, yesterday.

  PHOTO: CNA

  In no one's interests

  If a military conflict occurred in the Taiwan Strait, China, Taiwan and the US would all suffer huge losses, and nobody wants to see that happen, Blair said.

  Blair said that the US had also asked the Taiwanese government not to provoke China, adding that moves toward formal independence are not in the country's best interests.

  Blair added that he had told the Chinese government that if China made more social, political and economic progress, he believed Taiwan would be happy to negotiate some issues with China.

  The former US official lead a US delegation that observed the Han Kuang No. 22 wargames, which took place last week in Taipei.

  Blair said that the Taiwanese military had made some progress in its joint operation capabilities.

  Every country has their own security concerns, he said, adding that Taiwan should develop its own joint operations model that is appropriate for its own military capabilities in light of the military threat from China.

  Other modes of attack

  He said China could wage unconventional warfare, such as information warfare, against Taiwan.

  The Taiwanese military should develop various scenarios to counter any possible attacks from China, he said.

  When asked what he would do in the face of China's military threat against Taiwan if he were Taiwan's defense minister, Blair said he had spoken with Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (李傑) and approved of Lee's maneuvers on defense policy.

  He added: "I didn't come [to Taiwan] to teach [Lee] what to do."

  Blair has observed Taiwanese military exercises several times, and said he believes Taiwan's military is becoming more flexible and more creative than the Chinese military in terms of problem-solving.

  But he said that Taiwan needs to boost its national defense not just through military means, but also by all government bureaus and the public.
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