Asia Times

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border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="372"> <p> </p> <p><br><strong>After the US Congress was handed two major reports, including one from the Pentagon, dealing with a buildup of weapons in mainland China, Asia Times Online examined the issue and separated fact from fiction. <br> <hr> </strong> <p></p> <p><strong><font size="3">Making a meal of it</font></strong><br>A Pentagon report on China's military buildup has sparked interest largely because of a perceived threat to the security of Taiwan. Yet <strong>David Isenberg</strong> observes that there is little hard news in the report, whose real purpose may be more political than instructive, while <strong>Ehsan Ahrari</strong> remarks on the insight the report offers into how the US and Chinese military establishments feed off each other. <font color="#999999" size="1">(Jul 17, '02)</font><br>     <img hspace="0" src="/web/20030603211101im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/images/arrow.gif" border="0"><font size="2"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030603211101/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/DG18Ad03.html"><strong>The PLA, the Pentagon, and politics</strong></a></font><br>     <img hspace="0" src="/web/20030603211101im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/images/arrow.gif" border="0"><font size="2"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030603211101/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/DG18Ad02.html"><strong>China and the US: Parry and thrust</strong></a></font></p> <p><font size="2"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030603211101/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/DG19Ad01.html"><strong>Taiwan: Armed to the teeth</strong></a></font><br>A recent US decision to allow the transfer of AMRAAM air-to-air missiles to Taiwan caused an uproar. But that deal is only part of a gigantic weapons procurement picture. Strengthened ties to Washington have ensured that Taipei's already formidable arsenal will get bigger all the time. <strong>- David Isenberg</strong>  <font color="#999999" size="1">(Jul 18, '02)</font></p> <p><font size="2"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030603211101/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/DG23Ad01.html"><strong>Security report: Caution or confusion?</strong></a></font><br>Just three days after a Pentagon report to the US Congress detailed the state of China's military arsenal and its potential threat to US interests in East Asia, a report by a government commission voiced many of the same concerns. But questions remain about whether these reports are timely warnings or, as one dissenting commissioner said, mere "paranoia". <strong>- David Isenberg</strong>  <font color="#999999" size="1">(Jul 22, '02)</font></p> <p><font size="2"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030603211101/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/DG24Ad02.html"><strong>A question of strategy</strong></a></font><br>Some have dismissed the latest Pentagon report on Beijing's military buildup as alarmist, pointing out that for all its size, China possesses a "hollow military". These critics assume that Chinese leaders would not dare to use force while the military balance is against them. This is a flawed and dangerous assumption. <strong>- Stanley Chan</strong>  <font color="#999999" size="1">(Jul 23, '02)<br><br><a href="/web/20030603211101/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/DH14Ad04.html "><strong><font size="2">Taiwan defense: Finger on the 'enter' key<br></font></strong></a><font color="#000000" size="2">The threat of war with the mainland is nothing new for Taiwan, but the form such a battle would likely take is very different from in the past, argues Taipei's latest White Paper on defense: the cross-Strait war, if it comes, will be high-tech. But as before, Taiwan's best defense will be a good offense. - <strong>David Isenberg</strong><font color="#999999" size="1">(Aug 13, '02)</font></font> </font></p> </td> </tr> </table> <br> </td> </tr> </table> <br> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="65%" valign="top"> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="9" valign="top" background="/web/20030603211101im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/line.gif"><img height="1" src="/web/20030603211101im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="9"></td> <td width="131" align="left" valign="top"> <table width="117" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030603211101/http://www.wsicorporate.com/business.asp?id=5292" target="_blank"><img hspace="0" src="/web/20030603211101im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/images/Big-Button-new.gif" border="0"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="5"><img height="5" src="/web/20030603211101im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="5"></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="/web/20030603211101/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/advertise.html"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="10"><img height="10" src="/web/20030603211101im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="5"></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="/web/20030603211101/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/advertise.html"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="10"><img height="10" src="/web/20030603211101im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"></td> </tr> </table> <table width="117" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000"><font color="#ff9900" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>Affiliates<br></strong><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><a href="/web/20030603211101/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/advertise.html#AF"><font color="#ff9900" size="1">Click here to be one</font></a></font> </font></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="middle" valign="top" bgcolor="#000000"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td align="middle" valign="center"> <div align="center"> </div> <div align="center"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030603211101/http://www.studien-von-zeitfragen.de/" target="_blank"></a></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="10" align="middle" valign="center"><img height="10" src="/web/20030603211101im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="middle" valign="center"> <div align="center"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030603211101/http://www.kwrintl.com/fforwards/atimesadin.html" target="_blank"><img height="100" src="/web/20030603211101im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/KWR-small.gif" width="100" border="0"></a></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="10" align="middle" valign="center"><img height="10" src="/web/20030603211101im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="middle" valign="center"> <div align="center"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030603211101/http://www.manager.co.th/" target="_blank"></a></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="10" align="middle" valign="center"><img height="10" src="/web/20030603211101im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="middle" valign="center"> <div align="center"> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="10" align="middle" valign="center"><img height="10" src="/web/20030603211101im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="middle" valign="center"> <div align="center"><a href="#"></a> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="10"><img height="10" src="/web/20030603211101im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <p> </p> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table></td> <td background="/web/20030603211101im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/sha.gif"><img height="7" src="/web/20030603211101im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="7"></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="50" align="middle" valign="center" bgcolor="#003366"> <div align="center"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="table-text"> <tr> <td height="17"> <div align="center"></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="17"> <div align="center"><font color="#ffffff" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">No material from Asia Times Online may be republished in any form without written permission. </font></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="13"> <div align="center"><font color="#ffffff" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Copyright Asia Times Online, 6306 The Center, Queen抯 Road, Central, Hong Kong. </font></div></td> </tr> </table> <p><font color="#ffffff" size="1"> </font><font color="#ffffff" size="2"> </font></p> </div></td> <td background="/web/20030603211101im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/sha.gif"> </td> </tr> </table> </body> </html>

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