Latest Chapter In 81 Year-old Nationalist Versus Chinese Communist Conflict Continues

Taiwan Makes $6.9 Billion Weapons Deal With U. S. Then Announces Plan To Build 300 Cruise Missiles.

Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou has given the order for the production of 300 Hsiungfeng 2E cruise missiles,” the Taipei-based China Times said, citing an unnamed authoritative military source. Taiwan’s defense ministry declined comment.

The paper said Hsiungfeng 2E (Brave Wind IIE) which was developed by the military-run Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, has a range of around 600 kilometres (375 miles).

The missile could be launched on land or at sea, the paper said, and would be capable of hitting airports and missile bases in southeast China, as well as cities such as Shanghai and Hong Kong. It is subsonic has a 200 kilogram warhead and an accuracy of 12 meters or 39 feet. according to the most recent Janes estimate. It is a GPS guided weapon capable of destroying missile batteies or other targets with pinpoint accuracy.

China and Taiwan have been governed separately since the end of a civil war in 1949, but Beijing views the island as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

The Chinese Civil or “Nationalist-Communist Civil War lasted from April 1927 to May 1950, was a civil war in China between the Kuomintang (KMT or Chinese Nationalist Party) and the Chinese Communist Party (CPC). The war began in 1927, The war represented an ideological split between the Western-supported Nationalist KMT, and the Soviet-supported Communist CPC.

The civil war carried on intermittently until the looming Second Sino-Japanese War interrupted it, resulting in an organized and temporary Chinese resistance to the Japanese invasion. The Japanese assault and occupation of Eastern China was an opportunistic attack made possible by China’s internal turmoil. With Japan’s defeat in 1945 the conflict continued until 1950 seeing the communist push the nationalist back onto Formosa, now Taiwan, and a couple other minor islands.

A tacit state-of-war has existed for nearly 60 years, since no peace treaty has ever been signed. China has repeatedly threatened to invade Taiwan should the island declare formal independence. Taiwan has been resolute that it will defend its sovereignty. A December, 1954 mutual defense pact remains in effect between the U. S. and Taiwan.

On October 3, 2008 the U. S. agreed to a $6.9 billion weapons sale to Taiwan after a long delay during which many pundits had believed that the Bush administration would leave the decision to the new U.S. president to be elected on November 4. The deal did not include advanced F-16 C/D Falcon jet fighters nor diesel-electric submarines, which Washington had already approved, and UH-60 “Black Hawk” helicopters. Some saw that as a warning of the failure of the restored Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) government of President Ma Ying-jeou to rebuild a relationship of mutual trust and respect with Washington.

Building the cruise missiles is seem as provocative by some and as defensive by others designed to defeat Chinese missile bristling on the mainland and confronting Taiwan. Regardless it is likely this announcement to build the “Brave Wind IIE cruise missiles in a step toward that rebuilding and a signal to the next administration.

Recently tensions across the Taiwan Strait have eased since Beijing-friendly Ma Ying-jeou was elected as president in March vowing to boost the economy and improve ties with China. But, Taiwan is concerned an Obama regime could be less supportive and endanger it.