China rolled out its most modern weapons on yesterday to mark the 50th anniversary of communist rule, a display aimed, at least in part, at rival Taiwan and its US backers.
Models of the intercontinental ballistic missile Dong Feng-31 (East Wind-31) on hard-to-find mobile launchers rumbled past Tiananmen Square, the center of student-led demonstrations for democracy crushed by the army in 1989.
Warplanes, including the new indigenous Flying Leopard fighter bomber, flew past the Gate of Heavenly Peace, where head of state, military chief and Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin watched a huge military parade with politburo colleagues.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The display of might came amid a bitter row with Taipei over Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui's July declaration of political equality which enraged Beijing, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province.
Beijing, which insists Taiwan must be reunified with the motherland, saw Lee's move as a "dangerous" lurch towards independence.
It has threatened to invade if Taiwan declares independence and yesterday's military parade -- the first since 1984 and the biggest ever -- showed off China's anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles.
The two-hour parade, which halted traffic in central Beijing, also featured short-range missiles which are believed to be deployed against Taiwan.
"What they wanted to show was missiles and rockets," said one Asian military specialist who did not want to be identified.
"Fifty percent of the military parade was missiles and rockets," he said. "They're reasonably proud of it."
"It's not state of the art, but it's okay for Asia."
The 2.5 million-strong People's Liberation Army also showed off military aircraft ranging from the Russian Sukhoi-27 to bombers, fighters, ground-attack aircraft, strike fighters and helicopters of the army, navy and air force. The supersonic Flying Leopard can carry four air-to-air or air-to-surface missiles with a total weight of five tons. It has a range of about 1,600km.
The DF-31 surface-to-surface missile can carry a single 700kg nuclear warhead over 8,000km, which puts the US within its range.
The green missile, which underwent its latest test in August, is two to three years away from deployment, defense experts said.
It had initially been scheduled for deployment in 2000.
The DF-31 is designed to replace the DF-4, a missile with half the range that was developed in the 1960s, the experts said.
China was expected to build between 10 and 20 DF-31 missiles, they said. The Dong Feng was the subject of spying allegations in a politically explosive report issued in May by a special committee of the US Congress. The report alleged that two decades of Chinese spying on the US helped Beijing advance its missile and nuclear warhead programs.
Chinese-made aerial refuel tankers made their debut, emphasizing an ability to keep warplanes in the air for long periods of time.
QUIET START: Nearly a week after applications opened, agencies did not announce or promote the program, nor did they explain how it differed from other visitor visas Taiwan has launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program for foreign nationals from its list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts. To apply, foreign nationals must either provide proof that they have obtained a digital nomad visa issued by another country or demonstrate earnings based on age brackets, the Bureau of Consular Affairs said. Applicants aged 20 to 29 must show they earned an annual salary of at least US$20,000 or its equivalent in one of the past two years, while those aged 30 or older must provide proof they earned US$40,000 in
AIR DEFENSE: The Norwegian missile system has proved highly effective in Ukraine in its war against Russia, and the US has recommended it for Taiwan, an expert said The Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) Taiwan ordered from the US would be installed in strategically important positions in Taipei and New Taipei City to guard the region, the Ministry of National Defense said in statement yesterday. The air defense system would be deployed in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) and New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), the ministry said, adding that the systems could be delivered as soon as the end of this year. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has previously said that three NASAMS would be sold to Taiwan. The weapons are part of the 17th US arms sale to
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
UNITY MESSAGE: Rather than focusing on what Trump said on the campaign trail about Taiwan, Taipei should be willing to engage with the US, Pompeo said Taiwan plays a key role in Washington’s model of deterrence against China, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Taipei yesterday. During US president-elect Donald Trump’s first term, “we had developed what we believe was a pretty effective model of deterrence against adversaries who wanted to undermine the set of rules and values that the people of Taiwan and the people of the US hold dear,” Pompeo said at a forum organized by the Formosa Republican Association. “Succeeding in continuing to build this model will not solely rest at the feet of president Trump and his team,
RSS