DATE=8/26/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=CHINA-RUSSIA (L ONLY)
NUMBER=2-253132
BYLINE=ROGER WILKISON
DATELINE=BEIJING
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Russian diplomats in Beijing say their country
is preparing to sell its top-of-the-line fighter
aircraft to China, but they add that details of the
deal still have to be ironed out. VOA correspondent
Roger Wilkison reports Beijing's intended purchase of
the Sukhoi-30 fighter comes amid heightened tensions
between China and Taiwan.
TEXT: The diplomats would not say how many Sukhoi-
30's Russia is ready to sell China. Nor would they
give any time frame for when the fighters would enter
service with the Chinese air force. But a Russo-
Chinese deal on the state-of-the-art aircraft has been
in the works at least since mid-June, when a top
Chinese general signed a provisional contract for
purchase of the planes.
Western military analysts in Beijing believe China
wants to buy about 50 of the Russian fighters, whose
performance is said to rival that of the U-S F-15E
attack fighter. The analysts say they do not think
the Sukhoi-30's -which would boost China's all-weather
attack capability-- will be delivered until the year
2002.
The Russian diplomats say Deputy Prime Minister Ilya
Klebanov - whose portfolio includes the Russian
defense industry - has been in Beijing for the past
two days discussing details of the deal with Chinese
defense officials. They say Mr. Klebanov met with
Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, who reaffirmed Beijing's
intention to build a strategic partnership with
Moscow. On Wednesday, Chinese President Jiang Zemin
and Russian President Boris Yeltsin indicated at a
summit with three Central Asian states in Kyrgyzstan
that such a partnership is necessary to counter U-S
domination of the post-Cold War world order.
In recent years, Russia has been China's main supplier
of sophisticated weapons, including Sukhoi-27 attack
fighters, Kilo-636 attack submarines and Sovremenny-
class destroyers, equipped with anti-ship missiles.
Moscow began to supply the Sukhoi-27s to Beijing in
1995 after Taiwan ordered French Mirage-2000 fighters
and U-S F-16 combat jets. Beijing also obtained a
license from Moscow to build its own Sukhoi-27s in
China.
Western military analysts say they do not expect China
to obtain a Russian license to build the Sukhoi-30's.
One analyst says Chinese engineers have had
difficulties in assembling Russian-made parts for the
less sophisticated Sukhoi-27s and would be hard put to
handle the more complex Sukhoi-30s. He also says
finalizing the purchase of the Sukhoi-30s will
probably take a few more months, because Moscow and
Beijing are still haggling over the terms of payment
for what is estimated to be a two-billion dollar deal.
Another analyst says China's purchase of Sukhoi-30s
will eventually give Beijing the edge in air combat in
its rivalry with Taiwan. China has adopted a
belligerent tone toward the island, since Taiwanese
President Lee Teng-hui last month insisted that
Beijing treat Taiwan as a co-equal state. (signed)
NEB/RW/FC
26-Aug-1999 06:25 AM LOC (26-Aug-1999 1025 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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