Taiwan's Biggest Military Exercise In 20 Years, page 1

Amid growing geopolitical tensions and instability in Southeast Asia Taiwan held its biggest life-fire military exercise today in 20 years. All of Taiwan's military branches partook in the combined force exercise which analysts say was intended as a show of force against China. The drill is considered to be the latest in a series of moves by President Chen Shui-bian to maintain Taiwan's stability and security. Earlier this year President Chen shut down a government agency responsible for planning the eventual peaceful reunification between the PRC and Taiwan.

news.yahoo.com
ILAN, Taiwan (Reuters) - Taiwan staged its biggest live-fire army drills in about 20 years on Thursday, showcasing latest weaponry designed to combat a potential Chinese attack as Beijing builds its military might.

"Across the Strait, China has always been the biggest national security threat to the Republic of China, Taiwan, for the past half a century," said the island's independence-leaning president, Chen Shui-bian.

"Global military strategies are ever-changing with recent heightened tensions along the Korean peninsula," he said, adding that boosting Taiwan's defense would ensure peace and stability along the Taiwan Strait and the Asia-Pacific region.

The annual Han Kuang -- or Chinese Glory -- exercises are designed to counter an invasion by China, which views self-ruled democratic Taiwan as a wayward province that has to be unified with the mainland, by force if necessary

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With China’s ever growing arsenal and force across the straight the military balance is shifting in their favor considerably, which means its changing the status quo. Personally I think Taiwan has legitimate reasons to be concerned, if China truly wanted a peaceful reunification it wouldn’t be building up its forces so rapidly across the straight. Taiwan has to respond and make sure they don’t laps behind too much, it recently tested a long range cruise missile capable of targeting Chinese coastal sites and in this exercise it fired for the first time its PAC-2 missiles, furthermore the US recently approved the sale of 66 F-16 Block 52 fighters to Taiwan. Taiwan cannot win a war against China but hopefully it can maintain a deterrent against one.

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[edit on 20-7-2006 by WestPoint23]

[edit on 20/7/2006 by Mirthful Me]