A Chinese general denounced a US suggestion that Taiwan's military target China's Three Gorges dam and said yesterday that any strike on the world's biggest hydropower project would lead to war.
In its annual report to Congress on China's military power, the Pentagon suggested last month that Taiwan target the dam as a deterrent against any Chinese invasion of the island.
China will "be seriously on guard against threats from `Taiwan independence terrorists,'" People's Liberation Army (PLA) Lieutenant General Liu Yuan (
"[It] will not be able to stop war ... it will have the exact opposite of the desired effect," Liu said.
"It will provoke retaliation that will `blot out the sky and cover up the earth,'" he said, quoting a Chinese idiom.
The warning came as Ministry of National Defense in Taipei said it had test fired two Patriot anti-missile missiles to showcase its air defense capability.
The test was part of a routine drill and was conducted at a military base in southern Taiwan, the ministry said. It did not say when the test was held or give any other details.
Liu asserted that no country had conventional warhead missiles capable of critically damaging the dam -- made of concrete with a maximum thickness of more than 100m.
"The Three Gorges Dam will not collapse and cannot be destroyed," he said.
Seismologists have said the dam is designed to withstand an earthquake measuring 10 on the Richter scale.
The dam was first proposed decades ago, but construction was delayed because late Communist Party chairman Mao Zedong (
But the Pentagon report stirred controversy in China.
"Since Taipei cannot match Beijing's ability to field offensive systems, proponents of strikes against the mainland apparently hope that merely presenting credible threats to China's urban population or high-value targets, such as the Three Gorges Dam, will deter Chinese military coercion," it said.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said last week the report was "Cold War mentality harboring evil intentions."
US President George W. Bush has pledged to do whatever it takes to help Taiwan defend itself against an invasion by China.
Liu, the general, called the Pentagon's suggestion "petty psychological war."
He likened Washington to "a prostitute pretending to be a gentleman" and no better than Osama bin Laden.
The Three Gorges Dam, also the world's largest flood control project, is due to be completed in 2009 at a cost of nearly US$25 billion. With total capacity of 18,200 megawatts, it will generate 84.6 billion kwh of electricity a year.
China says it needs the dam to contain the Yangtze River's devastating annual floods and to meet future power demand. But critics say it is not a practical solution to either problem and could cause pollution by slowing the river's flow.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
RSS