TA-THREATS: Troops sent to protect China dam

Heavily armed troops in China have been sent to the Three Gorges Dam, to protect it against a terrorist attack. Patrol boats,military helicopters, armoured vehicles and bomb disposal robots have been situated around the sitesome time around tuesday.



Related Links
US report on China's military 2004
Country profile: China
Taiwan Flashpoint
Chinese Government
Storm across the Taiwan Strait

These days no country can be too sure that they are not-or ever will be - the target of terrorists. It doesn't take long for a terrorist virus element to think 'ah that's what we will do - simply because it can be done'. So It makes perfecrt sense to take precautions against terrorist attack - for any country, not just China. What ever it takes to protect.



[edit on 16/9/2004 by SE7EN]

Related story from June:

BBC
The row was triggered by the Pentagon's annual statement to the US Congress, released in May.

In it, the Pentagon said Taiwan's "political and military leaders" had recently suggesting acquiring weapons capable of striking against China as a way to deter Chinese attack.

China has been rapidly building up its missile capability and analysts say the balance of power across the Taiwan Strait is shifting in Beijing's favour.

"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," the report said.

Lt Gen Liu, the son of former President Liu Shaoqi, replied to the Pentagon's comments in a front page editorial in the China Youth Daily newspaper published on Wednesday.

"Some people who say they support democracy, wave the flag of human rights and shout about fighting terrorism are actually a bunch of provocateurs, inciting nationalism and purposely and shamelessly provoking revenge without regard to consequences," he said.

"It is very clear they are whores, masquerading as gentleman, and are willing to go farther than Bin Laden," he said, referring to the head of the terrorist group al-Qaeda.

I don't think the US was suggesting that Taiwan do that, just pointing out that proponents of strikes against China have suggested that may be a target.
Tensions are running high in China though, with the US weapons sales to Taiwan, so they jump on any comment like that by the US.

SE7EN, This is interesting.

The dam has a lot of problems with cracks, and a lot of people are not happy
about being relocated.

I didn't realize the completion date was 2009!

Water levels rise in Three Gorges dam, cracks reappear

2003 links,
www.smh.com.au...
www.geographypages.co.uk...

Sanc'.

Here's a 2002 report from the Center for Nonproliferation Studies that was referred to in one of the BBC links from SE7EN:

NTI - Taiwan�s Response to China�s Missile Buildup:
Taiwan�s Potential Responses
Military Options

Develop Deterrent Capabilities: Taiwan could try to develop the capability to inflict unacceptable losses and damage on China through military strikes of its own. This would require the ability to destroy military, economic, or symbolic targets such as major population centers, Shanghai�s Pudong Tower, or even the Three Gorges Dam.[5] The effectiveness of a Taiwanese deterrent would depend on both the amount of damage Taiwan�s military forces could deliver and on China�s willingness to absorb damage in pursuit of reunification. However, the damage the Taiwan military could presently impose upon China using conventional means is likely to be insufficient to deter a PRC missile attack. Instead, Taiwan could pursue weapons of mass destruction (WMD) as a deterrent. However, reviving Taiwan�s nuclear weapons program[6] would jeopardize the U.S.-Taiwan relationship and might incite a Chinese pre-emptive attack. Even if Taiwan successfully developed and deployed nuclear weapons, its own vulnerability to a nuclear attack would make it difficult to use a small arsenal to ensure its security.[7] Although Taiwan is suspected of possessing chemical and biological weapons (CBW) capabilities, it is unlikely to rely on these weapons as an overt deterrent due to the negative international response.