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| China-Japan-Koreas | |
| Report: China, Russia To 'rehearse Invasion Of Taiwan' | |
| 2005-03-17 | |
| DRUDGE Reporting Thu Mar 17 2005 11:02:09 ET MOSCOW, March 17. (RIA Novosti)-Yesterday, Chief of the Russian General Staff Yury Baluyevsky left for China to settle a scandal over the first Russian-Chinese military exercise, Commonwealth-2005, which is due to be held this fall off the Yellow Sea coast, writes Kommersant. The initial plans were to practice operational teamwork in combating terrorism during the exercise. However, Beijing, skillfully changing the format of the exercise, has tried to re-orient the two countries' armies to practicing an invasion of Taiwan.
The choice of where the exercise will take place became a stumbling block. The Russian military selected the Xinjiang-Uigur autonomous region, basing their choice on the area's problematic nature due to Uigur separatists and its proximity to Central Asia, which has become an arena in the fight against international terrorism. However, Beijing flatly rejected the proposal. Instead, it suggested the Zhejiang province near Taiwan. A joint exercise in this area would look too provocative and trigger a strong reaction not only from Taiwan but also America and Japan, which recently included the island in the zone of their common strategic interests. Beijing is trying to use Russia as an additional lever of pressure on the disobedient island to show it that its policy is also causing dissatisfaction in Russia, from which the Taiwanese are expecting assistance in their dialogue with Beijing and bid to join the WTO and the UN. On the Russian military's insistence, the exercise was shifted north to the Shangdong peninsula. However, the Chinese are trying to change the format of the exercise with proposals to enlarge the contingents with Marines and Pacific Fleet warships. Marine landings to seize the area will be practiced during the "antiterrorist" exercise. Russia's agreement to hold the exercise will inevitably cause a furor in America, Japan and Taiwan. But a refusal will spoil relations with China, which three months ago courteously agreed to Russia's proposal to hold an exercise. Developing... | |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #11 Move it to the frozen tundra in Russia |
| Posted by: 3dc 2005-03-17 11:51:29 PM |
| #10 I didn ask if you wuz Russian, Badanov, just ifn the first part of your nom de guerre was named after the well-known (to MY generation) spy from Rocky and Bullwinkle. Never heard of them? Think of them as the Simpsons of the Sixties..... |
| Posted by: Bobby 2005-03-17 10:18:53 PM |
| #9 The Commies don't have the capabilities of either the USN, the USMC, the Brit RN or Royal Marines, or NATO - their "Marines" will suffer extens casualties. Any "first strike" by ground forces will focii on the Airborne, Submarine Commandoes, and pre-invasion SpecOps, by definition - basically they have to keep feeding in bodies until the enemy runs out of bullets and beans. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2005-03-17 9:35:45 PM |
| #8 I don't think Russia has any imperial plans. They really didn't during the USSR days, and they don't now. I believe the the Russian MoD Chief of Staff jumped at the chance of demonstrating what his Marines can do with the Chinese ( which they most likely to go to war with this decade ), rather than there being some diabolical plan to jointly wipe out Taiwan. Oh and I am about as Russian as Al Bundy, as an example. badanov is a nom du wargame, if you will. |
| Posted by: badanov 2005-03-17 9:34:09 PM |
| #7 Badanov - has the plan changed since "Red Storm Rising"? And.... your first name wouldn't be ... um, Boris, would it? |
| Posted by: Bobby 2005-03-17 9:22:11 PM |
| #6 Very clever diplomacy, getting others to do what you wish. Dumb all around three ways. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-03-17 7:09:57 PM |
| #5 This is a job for Aquaman! |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2005-03-17 1:20:40 PM |
| #4 This is a job for the Baltic Fleet! |
| Posted by: T Heihachiro 2005-03-17 1:10:21 PM |
| #3 Maybe the US and Japan should hold an "Anti-Piracy Exercise" west of Taiwan at the same time. |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2005-03-17 12:57:03 PM |
| #2 The Russian Navy has very few options as far as transporting troops into combat. No doubt, Russian ships can haul them but to participate in an actual invasion by sea would be a disaster. I s'pect the Russian Marines on the Pacific fleet will most likely use airborne (helo or fixed wing ) means of landing, to gain an airfield, then to move the rest of their advanced party by air, after which more troops can be transported by sea once the island is secure. At least, that's the plan ;o) |
| Posted by: badanov 2005-03-17 12:55:37 PM |
| #1 Fine. Go ahead and make a realistic rehearsal: sink all your ships in the straits (the Charles de Gaul might be useful for training here). |
| Posted by: Jackal 2005-03-17 12:36:34 PM |