War skirmishes between Beijing and Taipei
Taipei (AsiaNews/Agencies) Taiwanese Vice Minister of National Defense quoted a US report suggesting that China might attack Taiwan in 2006 or 2008, but he said that the island has no plan to attack the mainland's Three Gorges Dam.
"If China provokes us and makes the first move to attack Taiwan, our military will certainly strike back. Our targets will include Chinese military facilities and the sources of the attack. The Three Gorges Dam, however, will not be a target", Minister Tsai Ming-hsien said.
Tsai made the statement after the issue of the Pentagon's annual report on the mainland's military capabilities, which said: "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".
According to George Washington University professor David Shambaugh, "the PLA is increasingly able and willing to use a whole range of means to threaten Taiwan - electronic, naval, air, missiles, special operations".
Due to the Chinese military escalation, Tsai Ming-hsien urged legislators to support the Defence Ministry's request for NT0 billion (HK2 billion) to purchase Patriot anti-missile systems PAC-3, eight submarines and a fleet of anti-submarine aircraft over 15 years, starting next year. Taiwan spent US.4 billion on weapons procurement in 2000 and this year is looking at additional weapons purchases amounting to US billion. (MR)
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