Charles R. Smith
Thursday, March 14, 2002

China is angry at the United States. The communist Chinese government unsuccessfully pressed the Bush administration to deny permission for Taiwan's defense minister, Tang Yiau-ming, to attend an arms conference in Florida.

On Monday, Tang met with U.S. Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz while visiting the U.S. defense industry conference. As a result of that meeting, the communist Chinese are furious.

"We express our strong dissatisfaction and indignation," stated Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi.

"We believe it will not only foster the arrogance of Taiwan independence forces, it will also damage Chinese-American relations and cross-strait ties," said Sun.

Communist spokesman Sun also noted that China was "deeply shocked" by a recently declassified report that named China as one of six possible nations that could face nuclear strikes from America. Sun stated that China was seeking an "official" explanation of the report from Washington. Sun emphasized that China is a peace-loving nation.

The U.S.-Chinese 'Bilateral Military Relationship'

Many in the U.S. press, academia and political structure characterize China as our "strategic partner," a nation with similar goals and views as the United States. The U.S. policy of appeasement, that China is a peaceful giant, was documented in the official correspondence of Clinton Defense Secretary William Perry.

In a 1995 letter to Chinese General Ding Henggao, U.S. Secretary of Defense Perry wrote that "advancing the military relationship between our two nations remains an objective which we agree serves the long-term interests of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific Region."

Perry wrote quite clearly that the Clinton administration wanted close ties to Beijing by "reiterating my support for our bilateral military relationship."

Less than six months after Perry's offer for a "bilateral military relationship," the People's Liberation Army launched a simulated nuclear attack against the two largest cities in Taiwan. In 1996, the PLA Second Artillery Corps fired dummy missile warheads only a few miles off the Taiwanese coast.

The 1996 missile crisis nearly started World War III. The Clinton administration had to respond to Beijing's threat to start a nuclear war in the Straits of Taiwan. Clinton's reaction was to send in the U.S. Navy and our aircraft carriers.

Chinese Plans for Nuclear War With the U.S.

The Chinese military took quick notice of the U.S. carriers, and in 1999 the communist army Office of the Central Military Command wrote a report on future nuclear combat with the United States.

"China is not only a big country, but also possesses a nuclear arsenal that has long since been incorporated into the state warfare system and played a real role in our national defense," states the Chinese military commission report.

"During last crisis across the Taiwan Straits, the U.S. tried to blackmail us with their aircraft carrier(s), but when their spy satellites confirmed that our four nuclear submarines which used to be stationed at Lushun Harbor had disappeared, those politicians addicted to the Taiwan card could not imagine how worried their military commanders were," notes the Chinese army report.

"In comparison with the U.S. nuclear arsenal, our disadvantage is mainly numeric, while in real wars the qualitative gap will be reflected only as different requirements of strategic theory. In terms of deterrence, there is not any difference in practical value. So far we have built up the capability for the second and the third nuclear strikes and are fairly confident in fighting a nuclear war. The PCC has decided to pass through formal channels this message to the top leaders of the U.S. This is one of the concrete measures that we will take to prevent the escalation of war in the spirit of being responsible."

Chinese General Wants to Nuke L.A.

There is little question that China is "responsible" when it comes to nuclear war. Since 1996, the Chinese army has not stopped its acts of atomic-tipped aggression and intimidation. For example, two years after firing missiles at Taiwan, Gen. Xiong, then second in command of the People's Liberation Army, threatened to vaporize Los Angeles.

Not once during the entire 40-year Cold War between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. did any Soviet general threaten to vaporize an American city. It is certain that the Kremlin would have fired any officer who made such a statement, because of the threat to global peace.

In contrast, Gen. Xiong remains second in command of the People's Liberation Army, ready to hurl his nuclear forces into battle with America on a moment's notice.

According to the CIA, China is expected to continue its rapid deployment of ballistic missiles along the Chinese mainland, within striking distance of Taiwan.

China's short-range ballistic missile arsenal could reach "several hundred" by the year 2005, stated Robert Walpole, a national intelligence officer, during a Senate hearing on international security.

The CIA intelligence analyst also revealed that Beijing is working on three new intercontinental ballistic missiles, the Dong-Feng 31, a longer-range variant of the Dong-Feng 31, and the submarine-launched JL-2. The DF-31 and JL-2 both have an estimated range of over 7,000 miles and can shower the U.S. West Coast with nuclear warheads.

Chinese Nuclear Weapons Proliferation

In addition, the leaders in Beijing have taken every opportunity to export missile and nuclear warfare equipment to such nations as Iran, Pakistan and Iraq. The entire Pakistani atomic arsenal was built from scratch with the direct assistance of the Chinese military, including advanced nuclear warhead designs from PLA labs and nuclear-tipped missiles directly out of the Chinese army inventory.

The "National Intelligence Estimate," a threat analysis published by the CIA, noted that Beijing has "enabled emerging missile states to accelerate development timelines for their existing programs" and sold "turnkey systems to gain previously non-existent capabilities – in the case of the Chinese sale of the M-11 short-range ballistic missile to Pakistan."

In 2001, the U.S. lodged sanctions against the China Metallurgical Equipment Corp. after it continued to ship missile parts to Pakistan, violating Beijing's sixth promise to stop such exports. It should surprise no one that the People's Liberation Army owns China Metallurgical.

During the 1990s, the Chinese army also exported an advanced air defense network to Iraq through another front company, in direct violation of the U.N. ban on military sales to Baghdad. The Bush administration openly complained about Chinese military sales to Iraq and eventually bombed several sites occupied by Chinese military engineers working for Saddam Hussein.

"We raised earlier in the administration concerns about what might be going on with Iraq," stated Bush national security adviser Condoleezza Rice on Chinese missile proliferation.

However, the Chinese army sales to Iraq have not stopped. PLA front companies continue to provide camouflage for Beijing as it attempts to export more advanced weapons to Iraq.

For example, the harmless-sounding Shandong Arts and Craft Company is in fact a front for Chinese missile proliferation. In 2001, the firm acted as a cover for a PLA military delegation to Iraq seeking to sell advanced long-range missile technology to Saddam Hussein.

China Is a Threat

The China apologists in the United States assure us that the communist state is not a threat, that it is a peaceful nation prepared to take its place in the world. Their simplistic view of Chinese history omits the past 40 years of confrontation with America.

They refuse to see Beijing's growing inventory of advanced missiles, warships and planes. They ignore years of espionage and covert political influence through contributions to U.S. political campaigns. They continue to seek appeasement despite the overwhelming evidence of missile and nuclear weapon proliferation.

In the next 40 years, China will attempt to take its place among the world's superpowers. China's growing arsenal of advanced weapons will enable it to do so in a forceful and violent manner. It is time that we recognized what the People's Liberation Army already knows – that America is its No. 1 target.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
China/Taiwan
Clinton Scandals
Saddam Hussein/Iraq

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