1999 ; 2000
[ News ] [ Papers ]
Missile Defense Is
Inadequate: Report
(Taipei Times, Apr. 9, 2006) A new report paints a bleak picture of Taiwan's ability
to counter a Chinese missile attack, even with the help of the US, citing
what it calls the "chaotic" political atmosphere surrounding the
issue of missile defense and military squabbling over the issue.
Taiwan Successfully Test
Fires First Cruise Missile
(AFP, June 5, 2005) Taiwan has successfully test
fired its first cruise missile, which would allow the island to hit major
military targets in southeast China.
PRC May Pull Back Missiles
Facing Taiwan, Paper Reveals
(Taiwan
News, May 31, 2005) The China
Youth Daily reported that the issue of whether to remove the missiles is
currently under discussion by the leadership of the People's Liberation Army.
Taiwan Successfully Test
Fires First Cruise Missile
(AFP, June 5, 2005) Taiwan has successfully test
fired its first cruise missile, which would allow the island to hit major
military targets in southeast China.
PRC May Pull Back Missiles
Facing Taiwan, Paper Reveals
(Taiwan
News, May 31, 2005) The China
Youth Daily reported that the issue of whether to remove the missiles is
currently under discussion by the leadership of the People's Liberation Army.
Military Talks About Missile
Program
(Taipei Times, May 3, 2005)
The recently formed Missile Defense Command will be disbanded, but the
defense minister seemed to imply that Taiwan
was developing ballistic missiles.
China to Deploy Cruise
Missiles: NSB
(Taipei Times, Apr 24, 2005) An official with the
National Security Bureau said that even if China withdraws its
much-publicized ballistic missiles, its LACMs could still devastate
Taiwan.
Taiwan 'Cannot Ward Off a
Surprise Missile Attack'
(Straits Times, Mar.
22, 2005) Taiwan's
military admitted yesterday that it would be incapable of defending against a
surprise missile attack from China.
Japan Rapid Missile Defense
Response Set
(Japan
Times, Feb. 9, 2005)
The government has come up with an emergency override process that sidesteps
the normal decision-making channels if it needs to quickly activate a U.S-developed
missile defense system.
Japan, U.S. Sign Missile
Defense Pact
(Reuters, Dec.
17, 2004) Japan
and the United States
signed an agreement cementing cooperation on the development of a ballistic
missile defense system.
Taiwan Military Warns of
China Missile Threat
(Reuters, Sep.
30, 2004) Taiwan
Defense Minister Lee Jye said that China
could have as many as 800 ballistic missiles poised to strike the island in
an intensive bombardment by 2006.
Taiwan Test-Fires Missiles
that Can Hit Chinese Cities
(AP, Sep. 27, 2004) The missiles, dubbed Hsiung-feng 2A
and Hsiung-feng 2E, have ranges of between 150km
and 300km,
the mass-market Liberty Times said, citing unidentified military sources.
Yu Heralds a 'Balance of
Terror'
(Taipei Times, Sep.
26, 2004) "The best scenario will see a `balance of terror'
being maintained across the Taiwan Strait so
that the national security is safeguarded," Premier Yu Shyi-kun said.
"If you fire 100 missiles at me, I should be able to fire at least 50 at
you. If you launch an attack on ... Kaohsiung,
I should be able to launch a counterattack on Shanghai."
China Tests New Missile
Which Could Pose Threat to Taiwan
(AFP, Sep.
20, 2004) China
has test-fired a cruise missile which will pose a new threat to rival Taiwan.
The land attack cruise missile (LACM) will have a range of 1,500km,
Jane's Missiles and Rockets magazine said.
China Tests New Guided
Missile Amid Taiwan Tensions
(Reuters, Aug.
17, 2004) China
has successfully tested a new guided missile it says is highly accurate,
state media said on Tuesday amid rising tensions with arch-rival Taiwan.
Powell Cautions Mainland
China on Missile Build-Up Across Taiwan Strait (China Post, Nov. 7, 2003) U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell
cautioned mainland China over its military build-up across the strait from
Taiwan and about the kind of message Beijing wishes to convey to the world
regarding its intentions toward the island.
Taiwan Keeps Mum on
Development of Missile That Can Reach Shanghai (AFP, Oct. 29,
2003) Taiwan's
defence ministry was tight-lipped on a report that the military has been
quietly developing a medium-range surface-to-surface missile capable of
attacking rival China's Shanghai.
China Slams Missile-Defense
Plan
(Kyodo News, Sep. 4, 2003) Chinese Defense Minister Cao
Gangchuan voiced concern over Japan's
plans to launch a missile defense system in 2007. Region's military balance
may be jeopardized.
Japan Seeks Shield for North
Korean Missiles
(NYT, Aug. 30, 2003)
Hours after North Korea
reportedly threatened to test a nuclear bomb, Japan's
Defense Ministry asked Parliament here to spend $1 billion a year through
2007 to build an American-designed missile-defense shield.
U.S. Report Pushes Taiwan to
Review Defense Abilities
(Taiwan
News, Aug. 2, 2003)
Taiwan said it was well aware
of China's
growing military threat but added it would reassess the country's defense
capacity and arms procurement plans as the Pentagon has suggested.
White House Reassures Taiwan
over PRC Missiles
(China Post, Aug.
2, 2003) "We've made it very clear that China's
rapid build-up of weapons, particularly missiles opposite of Taiwan,
is something that is destabilizing, and we will fulfill our commitments under
the Taiwan Relations Act," said White House press secretary Scott
McClellan.
China Slams Pentagon Report
on Threat to Taiwan
(Reuters, Aug.
1, 2003) China
denounced a Pentagon report accusing it of deploying growing numbers of
missiles aimed at Taiwan
and said Washington
was making excuses to sell advanced weapons to the island.
U.S. Says China Is Stepping
Up Short-Range Missile Production
(NYT, July 31, 2003) China has accelerated production
of short-range ballistic missiles, not only to hold Taiwan at peril but also
"to complicate United States intervention in a Taiwan Strait
conflict," the Pentagon said.
China Missile Tests
(Washington Times, July
18, 2003) China
now has about 450 CSS-7 and CSS-6 missiles near Taiwan.
The figure represents an increase of 100 missiles since last year's report.
China's Missile Tests
(Washington Times, June
20, 2003) China's
military is preparing to conduct a flight test of the new DF-31 mobile
missile, according to U.S.
officials.
MND Studies Effectiveness of
Patriot Missiles
(Taiwan
News, Mar. 26, 2003)
The Ministry of National Defense is closely observing and studying the
effectiveness of Patriot anti-missiles presently being used by coalition
forces in the U.S.-led war against Iraq.
Taiwan Speeding Up
Procurement of Patriot Weaponry
(AFP, Mar. 25, 2003) Taiwan's military is speeding up
procedures for the purchase of U.S.-made PAC-III anti-missile weaponry to
counter China's growing missile threat, a vice defence minister said.
Defense Officials Complain
about Patriot Missiles
(Taipei
Times, Mar. 25, 2003)
The poor performance of the new PAC-3 version of the air-defense system has
given the MND second thoughts about buying it.
Missiles Pointed Toward
Taiwan Meant for Foreign
(AP, Mar.
13, 2003) A legislator defended China's
deployment of missiles near rival Taiwan,
saying they were meant to prevent foreign meddling in Chinese affairs, not to
threaten the self-ruled island.
China Slams Aus 'Star Wars'
Plan
(CNN.com, Feb.
28, 2003) Australia's
decision to examine possible involvement in the controversial U.S.
missile shield defense system has drawn sharp criticism from China.
Chen Calls for Positive Response
to U.S. Plan for Missile Defense
(Taiwan
News, Feb. 26, 2003)
President Chen Shui-bian said that Taiwan,
Japan and South
Korea all should make a positive response to
the U.S.-initiated theater missile defense (TMD) system development plan.
Military Slowly Preparing
for MDS System
(Taipei Times, Feb 26, 2003) The military is now
better prepared for the deployment of a multi-layered missile defense system
(MDS) to stand up to missile threats from China.
No Signs That China Is
Pulling Back Missiles
(AP, Feb. 22, 2003) Taiwan's military has no evidence
that China has withdrawn some of the hundreds of missiles aimed at the island,
a military official said.
China Aims 75 More Missiles
a Year at Taiwan
(Reuters, Feb.
21, 2003) China
is adding at least 75 ballistic missiles a year to its arsenal and is likely
to have fielded 600 against Taiwan
by 2005, the Pentagon's Taiwan
desk officer said.
Japan, US to Conduct Joint
Missile-Interception Tests
(AFP, Feb. 17, 2003) Japan and the United States have
decided to conduct joint tests on intercepting ballistic missiles in Hawaii
as fears grew that North Korea may resume its own missile test-firing.
Military to Study Missile
Defense
(Taipei
Times, Feb. 14, 2003)
Minister of National Defense announced that the military has set up a task
force to plan for the establishment of a comprehensive missile defense
system.
New Missiles Threaten Taiwan
(Taipei Times, Feb.
13, 2003) China
is developing mid-range missiles, deployed inland, that could be used to
threaten Taiwan
as a substitute for the short-range missiles across the Strait.
China Hits Out at U.S.
Missile Plans
(CNN.com, Dec.
19, 2002) Beijing has reiterated
opposition to Washington's
deployment of a National Missile Defense (NMD) system, saying it will upset
the "global strategic balance."
Security Chief Says Offer to
Move Missiles Hollow
(Taipei Times, Dec 12, 2002) National Security
Bureau (NSB) director Tsai Tsao-ming said it was meaningless to have China
move short-range ballistic missiles deployed against Taiwan since these
missiles are mostly mobile and could be quickly redeployed if necessary.
China: Taiwan ‘Independence
Forces' the Problem, Not Mainland Missiles
(AP, Dec. 10, 2002) China asserted its right to
"military deployment in its own territory", insisting that problems
between Taiwan and the mainland are caused not by Beijing's missile
deployments but by independence advocates on the island.
U.S. Informs Japan Joint
Missile Shield To Be Deployed in 2008
(Kyodo News, Nov. 10, 2002) The United States has
told Japan that it plans to begin deploying interceptor missiles in 2008 under
the countries' joint missile-defense initiative, Japanese and U.S. government
sources said.
Taiwan Parliament Calls on
China to Remove Ballistic Missiles
(AFP, Oct.
23, 2002) Taiwan's
parliament has passed a motion demanding China
remove the hundreds of ballistic missiles deployed near the island and settle
the sovereignty dispute by peaceful means.
MOFA Starts Anti-missile
Campaign
(Taipei Times, Oct.
13, 2002) The ministry got the Taiwan
Junior Chamber to start a global movement to put pressure on China
to stop its use of missiles to intimidate Taiwan.
Taiwan President Demands
China Remove Missiles
(Taipei Times, Oct.
13, 2002) The ministry got the Taiwan Junior Chamber to start a
global movement to put pressure on China
to stop its use of missiles to intimidate Taiwan.
Taiwan President Demands
China Remove Missiles
(AFP, Oct.
10, 2002) Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian again demanded China
remove "immediately" the 400 missiles it has targeted at the island
and renounce the use of force against his country.
MND to Spend NT$20b on
Supersonic Missiles
(AFP, Oct. 7, 2002) Taiwan's military has budgeted at
least NT$20 billion (US$570 million) to finance the uncompleted supersonic
anti-ship missile development project next year.
China Test-Fires New Missile
(Washington Times, July 1, 2002) China's air
force test-fired a new air-to-air missile for the first time last week in a
move that has altered the military balance across the Taiwan Strait.
US Buries ABM Treaty, Bush
Praises Missile Defense
(Reuters, June 14, 2002) The United States formally
withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty on Thursday and President
Bush called for an aggressive push to build missile defenses against
``terrorists'' and ``rogue'' states who could work together to try to destroy
U.S. civilization.
US Military Commander Warns
of Cross-Strait Arms Race
(AFP, April
18, 2002) China's
growing collection of weapons targeting Taiwan
will eventually force the US
to consider boosting the island's missile defences, the top US Asia-Pacific
military commander said.
US Upbeat on China Missile
Dispute
(Reuters, March 18, 2002) China has told the US it is
cracking down on nuclear, chemical, biological and missile exports, stoking
optimism that a festering non-proliferation dispute can be resolved soon.
American Aide Meets Chinese
on U.S. Pullout From ABM Pact
(NYT, Dec.
18, 2001) A senior United States State Department official met
with Chinese counterparts here over the last two days in what was described
by the Americans as an effort to explain President Bush's recent decision to
pull out of the Antiballistic Missile Treaty.
Locally Developed Missile
Defense Considered
(AFP, Dec.
17, 2001) The government is planning on using a locally developed missile
shield rather than buying the US-made Patriot weaponry to defend the central
and southern part of the nation against attacks from China,
it was reported.
China Ready to Deploy its First
Mobile ICBMs
(Washington
Times, Sep. 6, 2001)
China will soon deploy its
first road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles, a new long-range
strategic weapon whose predicted range includes the western United
States. U.S.
intelligence agencies detected the Chinese military's formation of the first
missile units equipped with Dong Feng-31 missiles in July, and the Pentagon
believes the first missiles will be fielded by the end of the year.
U.S. Restates Its Stand on
Missiles in China
(NYT, Sep.
2, 2001) The Bush administration, seeking to overcome Chinese
opposition to its missile defense program, intends to tell leaders in Beijing
that it has no objections to the country's plans to build up its small fleet
of nuclear missiles.
White House Denies Shift in
China Policy
(AFP, Sep.
3, 2001) The White House played down reports Sunday of a change in
policy toward China,
saying planned discussions with Beijing
were merely an effort to win support for President George W. Bush's proposed
missile defense shield -- a key foreign policy goal.
U.S. to Tell China It Will Not
Object to Missile Buildup
(NYT, Sep. 2, 2001) The Bush administration, seeking
to overcome Chinese opposition to its missile defense program, intends to
tell leaders in Beijing that it has no objections to the country's plans to
build up its small fleet of nuclear missiles.
Jiang Dodges Query on
Missile Shield
(Washington Post, Aug.
9, 2001) Senator indicates plan isn't 'compelling issue' for China.
President Jiang Zemin took a softer tone on China's long-standing opposition
to U.S. plans to build a missile defense system during a two-hour meeting
with a group of U.S. senators, the head of the delegation said.
NMD Development Unjustified:
Chinese Defense Minister
(People's Daily, Aug.
8, 2001) Chinese Defense Minister Chi Haotian said that the United
States' advocate for developing the national
missile defense system does not stand to reason.
China Angered by U.S.
Missile Tests
(CNN.com, July
16, 2001) China's
Foreign Ministry has responded harshly to a fourth U.S.
anti-missile defense test over the weekend in the Pacific. "The U.S.
insisted on developing anti-missile defense systems in violation of the
(1972) Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty.
'Shanghai Forum' Unity
against US Missile Plan
(Financial Times, June 15, 2001) China forged a
united front with Russia and central Asian states on Friday against the US
plan for an anti-missile defence shield ahead of the weekend meeting between
presidents Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush.
China Firm On Missile
Defense Opposition
(WP, May 16, 2001) Rejecting the arguments of a senior
U.S. envoy, China stood firm in its opposition to the Bush administration
plan for national missile defenses today, bluntly describing it as a threat
to Chinese national interests.
U.S. Faces China Tough Sell
(CNN.com, May 15, 2001) U.S. envoy James Kelly faces
a hard sell as he briefs Chinese officials in Beijing Tuesday on Washington's
missile defense plans.
Armitage: U.S. Missile Plan
'No Threat to China'
(CNN.com, May 11, 2001) The U.S. has said its missile
defense shield poses no threat to China during U.S. Deputy Secretary of State
Richard Armitage's tour of Asia to
sell the concept. "We believe if we have a limited -- limited – defense
against a handful of missiles, that in no way eliminates China's
strategic deterrent, so it is not a threat to China."
China Warns of Possible Arms
Race
(CNN.com, May
2, 2001) China
has warned that U.S.
plans for a missile defense system (NMD) could lead to a possible arms race. China's
official Xinhua news agency slammed President George W. Bush's call to
replace the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty (ABM) -- between Washington
and Moscow --
with a new missile system.
Beijing Eases Stand On
Missile Defense
(Washington Post, Mar.
15, 2001) China
signaled a softening in its opposition to U.S.
plans for national and theater missile defenses, saying it looked forward to
discussing the issues during a visit to Washington
next week by its top diplomat.
China Aids Pakistani,
'Rogue' Missile Programs, CIA Says
(Washington Times, Feb. 28, 2001) China continued to
send "substantial" assistance to Pakistan's missile program during
the first half of 2000 and also aided missile programs in Iran, North Korea
and Libya, according to a CIA report. "Chinese missile-related technical
assistance to Pakistan
continued to be substantial during this reporting period," the CIA said
in its semiannual report to Congress on arms proliferation.
Experts Try to Make Missile
Shield Plan Palatable to China
(New
York Times, Jan. 28, 2001)
With President Bush dead set on building a national missile defense, American
and Chinese military experts have begun exploring ways to make such a shield
more palatable to China
and say a compromise, though extremely difficult, might be possible.
Defense Officials Losing Faith
in Missile Defense Potential
(Taipei Times, Apr. 10, 2006) There is a vast divide between those in the
military and government who want to boost the country's missile defenses, and
their opponents, who believe the country should develop deterrent
capabilities instead of paying for high-priced missile defense.
Turn Missile Buildup Against
China By RichardFisher, Jr
(Taipei
Times, Jun 11, 2005) Revelations in last Sunday's China Times that Taiwan
has tested a 1,000km-range
capable land attack cruise missile (LACM) proves an axiom: China's
military buildup will not stop an Asian defensive response.
Taiwan and China Both Play
Missile Cards
(ABC
Online, Aug. 17, 2004) Taiwan
and China
have both announced successful missile tests amid concerns about continuing
tension between the two neighbors.
China's Rapid
Missile Build-up No Empty Threat
(Reuters,
Aug. 12, 2004) China is
accelerating its coastal deployment of missiles that are now accurate and
powerful enough to inflict severe damage on Taiwan.
Asia's Ill-Advised Umbrella
(Editorial,
New York Times, Apr. 16, 2004) By pushing ahead with its plans for a missile
defense in Asia, the Bush administration runs the risk of creating a larger
threat than the one it means to counter.
Japan Support of Missile
Shield Could Tilt Asia Power Balance By Norimitsu Onishi (New York Times, Apr.
3, 2004) As the United States races to erect a ballistic missile defense
system by the end of the year, it is quietly enlisting Japan and other allies
in Asia to take part in the network, which could reshape the balance of power
in the region.
Defense Ministry Reviews
Taiwan's Missile Capabilities
(Taiwan
News, Jan. 16, 2004)
Minister of National Defense Tang Yiau-ming stressed the importance of Taiwan's
self-reliance in equipping its armed forces.
US Turns Up Missile Defense
Pressure on Japan By Axel Berkofsky
(Asia
Times, Nov. 19, 2002)
Japan's
defense establishment does not apparently spend too much time worrying about
the strategic implications of missile defense.
Taiwan's Response to China's Missile Buildup By Phillip C. Saunders and Lora L. Saalman (Center for
Nonproliferation Studies, October 2002) Over the next five years, China’s
growing missile capabilities will be its most important means of exerting
military leverage over Taiwan.
This issue brief provides a systematic outline of Taiwan’s
potential military and political responses to a PRC missile attack.
Strengthening China's Export
Control System By Jing-Dong Yuan
(Center
for Nonproliferation Studies, Oct.
4, 2002) The Chinese government’s capacity and willingness to
implement and enforce its regulations will a critical factor determining the
effectiveness of Chinese export control.
Ballistic Missiles and
Missile Defense in Asia By Michael D.
Swaine with Loren H. Runyon (NBR Analysis: Vol. 13, No. 3,
June 2002) The expansion of missile capabilities, and U.S. ballistic missile
defense (BMD) plans, have stimulated interest in the region in the
development and deployment of possible defensive countermeasures, most
notably in Japan and Taiwan.
Missile Deal to Boost
Beijing's Naval Prowess
(Taipei
Times, June 18, 2002) Russia has agreed to sell China two powerful missile
systems, including a supersonic anti-ship missile with a range of 300km,
for use on two new Sovremenny-class destroyers it will acquire from Moscow.
Missile Defense and Asian Security By Michael Krepon
(Stimson
Center, 2002) This paper discusses NMD's potential "cascading
effect" upon the China-South Asia nuclear balance as well as other
possible repercussions in Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
CIA Warns Missile Threat
Greater Than That During Cold War
(AFP, Mar
13, 2002) The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency warned that the United
States faced a more serious ballistic missile threat
than during the Cold War, predicting that North
Korea, Iran
and possibly Iraq
could target it with missiles in the next 15 years.
Foreign Missile Developments
and the Ballistic Missile Threat Through 2015 (National Intelligence Estimate, Jan. 2002)
China's
current ICBM force consists of large, liquid-propellant missiles armed with
single nuclear warheads. Of these ICBMs, about 20 are CSS-4 silo-based
missiles that can reach targets in the United
States. The Chinese also have about a
dozen CSS-3 ICBMs that are almost certainly intended as a retaliatory
deterrent against targets in Russia
and Asia.
China Braces for Uncertainty
as ABM Treaty Unravels By Ching Cheong
(Straits
Times, Dec. 27, 2001) Despite its low-key reaction, Beijing views
Washington's unilateral withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM)
Treaty negatively and is devising plans carefully to brace China for a more
uncertain and insecure world resulting from the United States' move.
ABM Withdrawal a Dangerous
Sign
(China
Daily, Dec. 21, 2001)
Military unilateralism will not bring the United
States the security they expect and will
lead to even more global distrust, experts cautioned. The announcement by the
Bush Administration of withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM)
treaty indicates that the US
is continuing to pursue, instead of restraining from, military unilateralism.
Taiwan Home-Grown Shield:
Doubts Aplenty
(Straits
Times, Dec. 18, 2001) While Taiwan is said to have the capability to build
its own missile shield, experts are doubtful over whether the system is
sophisticated enough to guard against any incoming missiles from China.
Experts ask how effective it will be in destroying missiles from China,
saying more sophisticated technology is needed.
China's Nuclear Agenda By Bates Gill and James Mulvenon
(New York
Times, Sep. 7, 2001)
As the Bush administration prepares for a more serious strategic dialogue
with China,
this process must be informed by certain uncomfortable truths. First, for the
past 20 years or more China
has had the ability to incinerate at least a handful of American cities.
Unpleasant, but true. Its nuclear force, however, has remained comparatively
small since its inception.
If China Builds More Warheads By Rose
Gottemoeller
(Washington
Post, Sep. 6, 2001)
MIRVs (multiple, independently targetable warheads) would enable China
to be confident that the limited missile defense system of the United
States would not negate its strategic
offensive deterrent. On the other, MIRVs are universally regarded as a
stepping stone for aspirants to strategic superiority.
Missile Defense Dialogue
Needed By Ralph A. Cossa
(Taipei
Times, Aug. 12, 2001) What's needed is a serious Sino-US dialogue on what
China's genuine security concerns are, given Washington's current inclination
to listen -- provided, of course, that China is prepared to recognize that
there are also legitimate US security concerns to be discussed. The time has
come for Beijing
to exhibit some "understanding" of US concerns, even as it pursues
its own national security interests.
Double Talk On Missile
Defense By Michael O'Hanlon
(Washington
Post, July 31, 2001)
During his recent meetings in Beijing,
Secretary of State Colin Powell repeated his frequent refrain that the Bush
administration desires only a "limited" capability to shoot down
long-range missiles. His words were intended to reassure rulers in Beijing
who fear that an American missile shield allegedly designed against North
Korea, Iran
or Iraq
might really be intended to neutralize their small nuclear deterrent.
Behind the Shield, a 3-Sided
Rivalry By Partick E. Tyler
(New York
Times, May 6, 2001)
It is a distant memory, but the common enemy that loomed over the
Antiballistic Missile Treaty negotiations three decades ago was China.
Suddenly China
was isolated.
Ballistic Missile Defense
and Northeast Asian Security: Views from Washington, Beijing, and Tokyo (Center for
Nonproliferation Studies, April 2001) US
policymakers see NMD as an insurance policy to support US
national defense if deterrence fails, which is viewed as a real possibility.
Bush's Missile Shield at
Heart of Asian Diplomacy
(Reuters,
Mar. 15, 2001)
U.S. President George W. Bush's ambitious plan for a missile defense shield
is emerging as a central issue in Washington's
diplomacy towards Asia.
Backing Beijing Into a
Corner
By Trevor Corson
(New York
Times, Mar. 12, 2001)
When President Vladimir Putin of Russia
announced his interest in joining the United
States and Europe in a
missile- defense program, it appeared that old adversaries might be coming
together. But one significant adversary, China,
would be left out.
The China and Nuclear
Reunion Is Only a Motive Away By David E.
Mosher, Lowell H. Schwartz (LA
Times, Feb. 25, 2001) We tend to overlook China because it
has opted to keep an arsenal of only about 20 single-warhead missiles that
can reach the United States and because it is not a party to the 1972
Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
Japan: No Pledge to Develop
TMD By
Kwan Weng Lin
(Straits
Times, Feb. 22, 2001) Japan
has made no commitment on the development and deployment of the controversial
Theatre Missile Defence (TMD) system of the United
States in this region, although it continues to carry
out joint research with the US
on TMD technologies.
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