Taiwan successfully test-fires missiles - paper

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5844066&cKey=1117947025000

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan has successfully tested its domestically developed Hsiung Feng anti-ship missile, the China Times newspaper said on Sunday, as the island attempts to beef up its defense capability against China's growing military threat.

Taiwan could begin "small initial production" of the Hsiung Feng, with a 1,000-km (600-mile) range that could hit military bases in China's southeast, this year or in 2006, the Chinese-language newspaper said, quoting unidentified sources. snip

On Saturday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld accused China of enhancing its military ability to project power at a time when it faced no threat.

[saltpoint]

1. I read the title of your post, NNNOLHI, and thought, "Paper!?!"

Why would the fools make missiles out of paper?

Then I read the rest of it.

I'm going to have some whisky now.

[bemildred]

2. Seems to be supersonic, excellent range. Yikes. nt

[truthisfreedom]

3. hmm. giving China an excuse to step up military activity? sigh. what's

the solution? so much of Taiwan's manufacturing has moved "offshore" to China already... could they even survive if they were cut off from China at this point? somebody who knows more should speak up. in my manufacturing business (electronic musical products) the companies i work with in Taiwan are already outsourcing to China because it's cheaper than manufacturing in Taiwan, and in some cases, you can't even find the services you need in Taiwan anymore!

[Merlin]

4. Two cars approach each other on a narrow road at high speed...

One has his brights on, blinding the other driver. In frustration, the other driver turns his brights on, too.

What feeble souls we humans are!

[Karmakaze]

5. Gotta love that propaganda!

Check this out, it's so obvious:

North Korea apparently test fired a missile into the Sea of Japan on Sunday, raising new fears about Pyongyang's nuclear intentions just days after a U.S. intelligence official said the secretive Stalinist state could arm a missile with a nuclear warhead.
ABC News: S. Korea Downplays N. Korea Missile Test


Taiwan successfully test-fired a locally developed cruise missile capable of striking southeastern areas of mainland China, a newspaper reported Sunday.
<SNIP>
Taiwan is widely believed to have secretly developed cruise missiles. Military officials have argued such weapons could deter China from launching an attack against the island. However, it may be several years before Taiwan can begin mass production of the missile, the newspaper said.
ABC News: Report: Taiwan Test-Fires Cruise Missile

What a difference being on the wrong side makes!

One country test fires an anti-ship missile that is little threat to anything but enemy shipping and it raises fears about "nulcear intentions", while the other nation test fires a crusie missile that can attack land targets in another country, and could conceivably be nuclear armed, and we get a story on the success of the test and how it could be used to deter an enemy attack!

[sweetheart]

6. HA, a double helping of that:

On Saturday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld accused China of enhancing its military ability to project power at a time when it faced no threat.

Hmmm... so, then the USA is not enhancing its military power at a time
when it faces no threat.... hiding behind offense... rumsfeld, you're
a stinky skunk, and where there's smell, there's deception.