Tuesday, March 31, 2009

China: Measuring us for the knock-out blow.



Those of you who have been reading my stuff for a while know that I view Taiwan as the canary in the coal mine of international liberty. Just as in the run-up to World War II, when larger predatory nations began gobbling up smaller, weaker ones -- Ethiopia, Manchuria, Czechoslovakia -- if Taiwan is absorbed unwillingly into the PRC without effective international opposition, then the dominoes, to use another metaphor, will begin to fall.

China has in its suite of persuasive tactics a number of carrots and sticks already. It has now found another shiny, new and deadly stick to get what they want.

Here's the new shiny big stick they found.

Don't invest in Taiwanese real estate.

Mike
III

Report: Chinese Develop Special "Kill Weapon" to Destroy U.S. Aircraft Carriers

Advanced missile poses substantial new threat for U.S. Navy


U. S. Naval Institute

March 31, 2009

With tensions already rising due to the Chinese navy becoming more aggressive in asserting its territorial claims in the South China Sea, the U.S. Navy seems to have yet another reason to be deeply concerned.

After years of conjecture, details have begun to emerge of a "kill weapon" developed by the Chinese to target and destroy U.S. aircraft carriers.

First posted on a Chinese blog viewed as credible by military analysts and then translated by the naval affairs blog Information Dissemination, a recent report provides a description of an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) that can strike carriers and other U.S. vessels at a range of 2000km.

The range of the modified Dong Feng 21 missile is significant in that it covers the areas that are likely hot zones for future confrontations between U.S. and Chinese surface forces.

The size of the missile enables it to carry a warhead big enough to inflict significant damage on a large vessel, providing the Chinese the capability of destroying a U.S. supercarrier in one strike.

Because the missile employs a complex guidance system, low radar signature and a maneuverability that makes its flight path unpredictable, the odds that it can evade tracking systems to reach its target are increased. It is estimated that the missile can travel at mach 10 and reach its maximum range of 2000km in less than 12 minutes.

Supporting the missile is a network of satellites, radar and unmanned aerial vehicles that can locate U.S. ships and then guide the weapon, enabling it to hit moving targets.



The ASBM is said to be a modified DF-21

While the ASBM has been a topic of discussion within national defense circles for quite some time, the fact that information is now coming from Chinese sources indicates that the weapon system is operational. The Chinese rarely mention weapons projects unless they are well beyond the test stages.

If operational as is believed, the system marks the first time a ballistic missile has been successfully developed to attack vessels at sea. Ships currently have no defense against a ballistic missile attack.

Along with the Chinese naval build-up, U.S. Navy officials appear to view the development of the anti-ship ballistic missile as a tangible threat.

After spending the last decade placing an emphasis on building a fleet that could operate in shallow waters near coastlines, the U.S. Navy seems to have quickly changed its strategy over the past several months to focus on improving the capabilities of its deep sea fleet and developing anti-ballistic defenses.

As analyst Raymond Pritchett notes in a post on the U.S. Naval Institute blog:

"The Navy's reaction is telling, because it essentially equals a radical change in direction based on information that has created a panic inside the bubble. For a major military service to panic due to a new weapon system, clearly a mission kill weapon system, either suggests the threat is legitimate or the leadership of the Navy is legitimately unqualified. There really aren't many gray spaces in evaluating the reaction by the Navy…the data tends to support the legitimacy of the threat."

In recent years, China has been expanding its navy to presumably better exert itself in disputed maritime regions. A recent show of strength in early March led to a confrontation with an unarmed U.S. ship in international waters.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I read about that a few days ago on Singtao Daily.

I hope they are going to use their new weapons in self defense only, like in the past, and not any imperialistic activity.

Personally, I highly doubt (mainland) China will embark on any imperialistic activity. China developed her missile project in the 1960s in order to show any would be imperialists (UK/Opium War experience) that she is now a country that will not allow any more foreign troops to march all over her and loot her palaces and historical tombs.

Grand Uncle's grandfather fought against the British in 1901 on the Red Turban's (one of the Boxer sub-groups) side. The Redcoats burned the Yuanmingyuan (summer palace) down and made off with over 100 paintings and many other things. 1840-1946 was a pretty angry and frustrating time for us.

tjbbpgobIII said...

THANK YOU BILL CLINTON YOU SOB.

Sean said...

So which is it Qi, are you American or Chinese? And if China has no imperialistic ambitions, why is the size of their Navy doubled in the last ten years, and why did they take over operation of the Panama Canal when Dimmy Carter handed it over to the Panamanians? Angry and Frustrating to be sure, but like the British, the thing China is best at is treating their own people like shit. The Nazis looted over a million paintings in Europe, few of which were ever returned to their owners after the war. If I had an army the last thing on my list would be to march all over China and loot its' palaces and historical tombs. Do you remember how they used their new weapons in self-defense only, in the past, in Korea? 53,000 and more Americans don't remember anything, anymore. How's about them millions Mao slaughtered, more that Hitler, more that Stalin, did they use their new weapons on them? How about how they arrest Christians and torture them and throw them in jail, and ban their religious practices, nope, no imperialistic activities there. Glad to see Grand Uncles' grandfather stood up to the British. Have you made similiar moves, regarding how China swamped Tibet, and is breeding the Tibetians out of Tibet? I don't hold you personally responsible for all the crap going on in China, but lay off the poor China routine, and how they've been wronged, and you hope they don't go all froggy with their new toys. They'll stomp Taiwan at the first opportunity, and millions more will be under the yoke of pseudo-communism, an oligarchy that grinds individual freedom to dust. By the way, who publishes Singtao Daily, and where does it originate?

Vanderboegh said...

Qi,

I left intact and posted Sean's piece above because he asks fair questions, albeit roughly.

I ask you to answer them as best you can, thoughtfully.

On another unrelated topic, I thank you for your suggestion on the tea and am disappointed to report that there is no large Chinese grocery in Birmingham that I can discover.

Can you suggest where I might buy some online?

Mike
III

Anonymous said...

I'm reading "Dragon's Fury - World War against America and the West" (2004) and this news was quite eerie. In the book (2004) China develops a super-cavitating torpedo (2,000 lb warhead)that takes out our super-carriers and leaves us on the defensive. The Greater Islamic Republic and China and North Korea all take on USA. Multiple attacks on CONUS by sleeper Islamic cells. Half way through the 800-page book and we're not doing too well. Good read.

http://www.amazon.com/Dragons-Fury-World-against-America/dp/0971577900/

Anonymous said...

Re: Sean:

Yes, I do know about the turbulent history in China after the Revolution of 1949. Most of my family lived through the Cultural Revolution, and it is indeed frightening. I DO NOT LIKE communism. However, I do not like "democratic" regimes that always like to meddle in foreign countries' affairs either. Jefferson said something once about using perceived foreign threats to trample on domestic freedom. That is why I strongly prefer a Republic, based on INDIVIDUAL LIBERTIES, NON-INVOLVEMENT IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS, and freedom of commerce. I don't think they will abuse their new naval fleet, because ever since 1840 when the British defeated the Qing navy on the high seas, China's ambition was to build up it't navy for coastal defense.
I am aware of China's internal problems, however I prefer to have a Ron Paul attitude towards it and not rile them up even more. Have you seen the level of corruption in the PRC government? They have lot of things they have to improve on and reform. With every new generation, we are seeing more freedom loving people urging more reforms. Speaking of Taiwan, they have had some shameful history too, because their regime has killed many people too, including the aboriginal population that occupied the island before them. I don't know why the Chinese revolutionaries in 1949 did not adopt a Jeffersonian republic, and picked up marxist fascism instead. What is so appealing about Marxism? I don't know, but regarding the present Chinese military situation, I think we should just let time tell, and not jump to conclusions too quick. Right now, I am more concerned about the loss of freedom right here, since this morning there was news about paramilitary police buildup in Manhattan NY.

Please don't be too critical of me, Sean. Sometimes I just want more time to view global events, and not get riled up too quick. The UN gun ban agenda is far more threatening to us than anything going on in China right now. Please feel free to correct me.

Re: Vanderboegh: I can send you some Loong Qing, no problem. Don't order it from online sources, because it is much cheaper here in Chinatown, and I go there all the time.

Anonymous said...

Oh, BTW, Singtao is published in New Jersey, and the staff is mostly Chinese businesspeople who frequently travel and live between PRC and USA, as well as leading Chinese American scholars in NY. That is why Singtao is liberterian compared to Mainland PRC papers.

Singtao is pro-gun rights compared to the other papers here like Daily News and NY Post, and they actually even encouraged people to learn how to shoot and get a firearm due to the bad economic situation.

Sean said...

Told me all I needed to know. Are you familiar with yeast? Naw, forget it.

Anonymous said...

QUOTE Are you familiar with yeast? Naw, forget it. QUOTE

Wait! Is it something to do with diabetes or any related health matter?

Anonymous said...

Well, after so many consistently impressive posts on this blog, I suppose there has to be a klinker every now and then. This one is it.

1) So, we in the US, with a bigger military budget than the rest of the world combined, are carping because the Chinese have developed a defensive missile? Makes lots of sense, huh?

2) We in the US, the most imperialistic nation in the world right now, with some 700 bases in foreign countries and at least 2 current wars far from our border, are complaining about Chinese treatment of other Chinese on an island right off their coast that has been owned by China more than any other entity? This is like the Chinese complaining the US should leave Long Island alone.

The remarkable thing about China is that it is so little prone to imperialism, not that it is giving Taiwan a bad time. After all, it is a demographic and economic powerhouse, and it is crowded. Tibet? Sure, that's bad. Maybe we will have to give Texas and California back to the Mexicans, though, if we want to have the standing to criticize them on that issue.

How about this one: China vs. Taiwan is NOT OUR BUSINESS. We are not the cops of the world, and we should not be the cops of the world. The founders opposed any such notion. The only way we can be the cops of the world, is if we indulge in Empire, and there is no freedom in an empire. The people who hope you get excited about China/Taiwan are the very same people who are drooling to take your guns. Don't be a sap. As Mencken put it, "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." Stop letting yourself be manipulated by tyrants. Our enemy is not China, but Washington DC.