Summary
Considerations of the military balance across the Taiwan Strait remains critical to the consideration of the issue of “One China,” as force of arms remains a key tool for Beijing to achieve its goal of unification under its terms. During this decade, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could achieve comfortable superiority in almost all military indices versus Taiwan. The PLA may even for the first time be able to mount a credible invasion threat although at the same time able to deter US intervention. Although the issue of Taiwan’s future relationship with China is one that most residents on Taiwan would prefer be settled peacefully, China’s military buildup against the island is creating pressures, limiting Taiwan’s ultimate room for strategic maneuver, and raising the stakes for Washington. In Taiwan, the fact of the PLA’s continuous buildup exposes the insufficiency of Taiwan’s defensive preparations, as it also exposes weaknesses in the Pan-Blue arguments that it can ensure Taiwan’s security and “enshrine” the status quo with China. Finally, the PLA’s buildup challenges assumptions that the United States can always successfully save Taiwan from Chinese attack, an assumption that is critical for defense decisions in Taiwan, and for Washington to exert leverage in Taipei.
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Notes
This wording was used by Wang Zhouguo, Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese NPC, March 8, 2005. See, Edward Cody, “China Sends Warning to Taiwan With Anti-Secession Law,” The Washington Post, March 8, 2005.
This, indeed, has been done by both government and nongovernment authorities. Government reviews used for this study include Office of the Secretary of Defense, Annual Report to Congress, Military Power of the People’s Republic of China 2006 (referred to as “2006 DoD PLA Report”); 2006 National Defense Report of the Republic of China Ministry of Defense, Republic of China; 2006 Report to Congress of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission 109th Congress, Second Session, November 2006; Martin Edmonds and Michael M. Tsai, eds., Taiwan’s Defense Reforms (London: Routledge, 2006)
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David Shambaugh, Modernizing China’s Military (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002). Previous review of this issue by the author includes “China’s Steadily Growing Military Capabilities,” Taiwan Defense Affairs (Autumn 2005), pp. 84–117; China’s Military Power: An Assessment From Open Sources. Testimony before the Armed Service Committee of the US House of Representatives, July 27, 2005.
Arun Saghal and V. K. Anand, “China and Russia, the New Shooting Stars,” Asia Times, September 9, 2005, www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/GI09Ag01.html (last visited, September 10, 2005).
Robert Hewson, “China Boosts its Air Assets with Ilyushin Aircraft,” Jane’s Defence Weekly, September 21, 2005.
For reviews of Taiwan’s defense reforms under the DPP government see, Michael S. Chase, “Defense Reforms in Taiwan: Problems and Prospects,” Asian Survey (May/June 2005), pp. 362–382; and Dennis V. Hickey, “China’s Military Modernization and Taiwan’s Defense Reforms: Programs, Problems and Prospects,” in Edmonds and Tsai, eds., Taiwan’s Defense Reforms.
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Patrick L. Smith, “For Many in Taiwan, Status Quo Sounds Just Fine,” International Herald Tribune, December 11, 2006.
Su Chi, “Taiwan Security: A KMT Perspective, Notes of remarks before the US-Taiwan Business Council, Denver Co.,” September 11, 2006, accessed on the Taiwan Security Research web page, www.taiwansecurity.org/ Also see his articles in “New Thinking on Arms Purchasing,” China Times, January 3, 2006
and “Soft Power + Defensive = National Security,” United Daily, January 24, 2006.
Oliver August, “Secret World That Guards Taiwan,” The London Times, May 23, 2001.
Anthony Cordesman, The Asian Conventional Military Balance, 2001–2002, Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2002, www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/asiamb022602%5B1%5D.pdf (last visited, April 25, 2006)
and The International Institute for Strategic Studies, The Military Balance 2006–2007 (London: Routledge, 2006), p. 292.
Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarbourgh, “Inside the Ring,” The Washington Times, September 1, 2006
and Richard Dobson, “US Suspends F-16 Sale To Taiwan Over Budget Delay,” Reuters, October 3, 2006.
One recent report noted that a Western intelligence official had stated that China was made a partner in Galileo in part due to its successful espionage against the navsat program. See, Damien McElroy, “China Aims Spy Network at Trade Secrets in Europe,” Telegraph, July 3, 2005.
Vago Muradian, “China Attempted to Blind US Satellites with Laser,” Defense News September 21, 2006, p. 1.
This subject has been most heavily explored by Timothy L. Thomas, Dragon Bytes, Chinese Information War Theory and Practice (Ft. Leavenworth, KS: Foreign Military Studies Office, 2004).
Quoted in Bill Gertz, “Chinese Information Warfare Threatens Taiwan,” The Washington Times, October 13, 2004.
Bill Gertz, “High Tech Warfare,” The Washington Times, July 22, 2001.
Jimmy Chuang, “Military Stages First-Ever Anti-Hacker Drill: MND,” Taipei Times July 15, 2006, p. 2.
Ko Shu Ling, “Cabinet Says Computers under Attack,” Taipei Times, September 4, 2003, p. 1.
Shih Hsiu-chuan, “Legislature Rattled by ‘PLA’ Hacker Attack,” Taipei Times, July 17, 2006, p. 3.
Wendell Minnick, “Taiwan Faces Increasing Cyber Assaults,” Defense News,June 12, 2006, p. 16.
Wendell Minnick, “Spook Mountain: How the US Spies on China,” Asia Times, March 6, 2003, www.atimes.com/atimes/China/EC06Ad03.html (last visited, March 18, 2007)
Wendell Minnick, “Taiwan Debates Satellite Procurement Programme,” Jane’s Defence Weekly, October 26, 2005.
Bradley Perrett, “Almost 1,000 Missiles Ranged Against Taiwan,” Aviation Week and Space Technology, January 29, 2007, p. 27.
Aliya Samigullina, “Ukraine Armed Iran and China,” Moscow Gazeta.ru March 18, 2005
Douglas Barrie, “China Provides Cash for Israeli Cruise Missile,” Flight International, May 17–23, 1995, p. 5.
Doug Barrie, “Chinese Cruise Missile Portfolio Expands,” Aviation Week and Space Technology, September 19, 2005, p. 43.
Douglas Barrie, “Power Play,” Aviation Week and Space Technology, November 6, 2006, p. 26.
Brian Hsu, “Offense Best Defense, Officer Says,” Taipei Times, January 10, 2003.
Wendell Minnick, “Taiwan May Have Plans to Build 500 Cruise Missiles,” Jane’s Missiles and Rockets, December 1, 2005.
Yihong Chang, “China Deploys Upgraded JH-7A Fighter Aircraft,” Jane’s Defence Weekly, August 3, 2005, p. 6.
Henry Ivanov, “China Working on ‘Super-10’ Advanced Fighter,” Jane’s Defence Weekly, January 11, 2006.
After over a decade’s hiatus, this missile may be benefiting from new development funds from a foreign client. China’s interest was indicated recently in, Vladimir Karnozov, “The Chinese Line,” Voenno-Promyshlennyy Kur’er, July 20, 2005.
Russia is also considering a lower cost fifth generation fighter design to compliment its larger PAK-FA design See, Alexey Komarov and Douglas Barrie, “A Lighter Contender,” Aviation Week and Space Technology, January 24, 2005, p. 30.
See author, “New Build H-6s, News, Airshow China 2004,” Air Forces Monthly, October, 2005.
Ed Cody, “China Now Test Flying Homemade AWACS,” The Washington Post,November 13, 2004, p. A1 9.
Lyuba Pronina, “Report: $900 M Arms Deal Is Close,” Moscow Times, August 20, 2004.
Duncan Lennox, “SA-10/20 ‘Grumble’ (S-300/S-300PMU/Buk/Favorit/ 5V55/48N6),” Jane’s Strategic Weapon Systems (Internet Version), February 21, 2005.
James O’Halloran, “Almaz/Antei S-400 Triumf (Triumph) (SA-20) Low-toHigh Altitude Surface-to-Air Missile System,” Jane’s Land Based Air Defence (Internet Edition), March 14, 2005.
Wendell Minnick, “Taiwan Considers IDF Upgrade,” Defense News, November 13, 2006.
Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough, “Inside the Ring,” Washington Times, December 1, 2006.
Interview, IDEX, Abu Dhabi, February 2005; it is also possible the new PLAN “Aegis” radar system may have benefited from US Aegis radar system technology stolen by the “Chi Mak” spy ring. See, Bill Gertz, “Four Arrests Linked to Chinese Spy Ring,” The Washington Times, November 5, 2005
Greg Hardesty, “Spy Suspects Blended In: The FBI Believes Four In-Laws Were Involved in Stealing Information from an Anaheim Defense Contractor to Deliver to China,” The Orange County Register, November 11, 2005.
Doug Barrie, “Chinese Cruise Missile Portfolio Expands,” Aviation Week and Space Technology, September 19, 2005, p. 43.
Chu Ming, “Missile Speedboats to Be Equipped With HF-3 Missiles,” P’ing-kuo Jih -pao, August 29, 2005.
Number derived from Stephen J. Phillips, ed., Jane’s High Speed Marine Transportation 2003–2004 (Coulsdon: Janes Information Group, 2003).
Bill Gertz, “China Tests Ballistic Missile Submarine,” The Washington Times December 3, 2004, www.washtimes.com/national/20041202–115302-2338r.htm (last visited, December 3, 2004.)
Xu Bodong, “PRC Military Strategic Expert Interviewed on Solution to Taiwan Question,” Ta Kung Pao, May 13, 2002.
Bill Gertz, “China Sub Stalked US Fleet,” Washington Times, November 13, 2006.
Office of Naval Intelligence, Worldwide Maritime Challenges, 2004, p. 22.
For a skeptical perspective, see, Ian Story and You Ji, “China’s Aircraft Carrier Ambitions, Seeking Truth from Rumors,” Naval War College Review (Winter 2004), pp. 77–93.
Yihong Chang, “Is China Building a Carrier?” Jane’s Defence Review, August 17, 2005.
Mo Yan Chih, “Analysis: Analyists Urge Ma to Reflect on KMT’s Failed Strategy,” Taipei Times, December 13, 2006.
John A. Tirpak, “Paths to Air Dominance,” Air Force Magazine, November 2005.
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© 2008 Peter C. Y. Chow
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Fisher, R.D. (2008). “One China” and the Military Balance on the Taiwan Strait. In: Chow, P.C.Y. (eds) The “One China” Dilemma. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230611931_12
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