Washington, March 8 (CNA) Communist China is actively planning a military invasion of Taiwan and is preparing to wage war against the United States -- including using its small force of strategic nuclear missiles, if Washington attempts to defend Taiwan, an American magazine quoted a Beijing military document as reporting.
Insight Magazine reported Wednesday on its website that in an internal document from the Chinese Communist Party's Central Military Commission to all its regional commanders, Beijing envisions a blitzkrieg-like attack on Taiwan, launching a "first fatal strike" so that Taiwanese forces have no way of organizing an effective resistance.
"We will be able to control Taiwan before the US intervention and then concentrate our forces on fighting the US," says the document.
The document, distributed to commanders in August 1999, urges military leaders to "be well prepared for war" with Taiwan and, if necessary, the United States, following Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui's state-to-state theory pronouncements.
The Communist Chinese leadership views Lee's position as a threat to the PRC's territorial integrity and if allowed to stand would promote mainland China's disintegration by encouraging independence movements in Tibet and other occupied areas, said the weekly magazine.
Beijing's crackdown on the Falun Gong spiritual group, the document points out, was aimed at crushing separatist sentiment. "To outlaw `Falun Gong' was a preemptive measure aimed at the ultimate resolution of the Taiwan issue, not only eliminating domestic trouble, but paving the way for reunification as well."
According to the document obtained by Insight, the large-scale coastal and inland military exercises planned for September 1999 were intended not only to intimidate Taiwan but "to adapt our armed forces to cross-the-straits operations." But peaceful reunification with Taiwan "is still the best option" for Beijing's long-term interests, as military options would be disruptive to the Party's economic development goals.
The document says it is very unlikely that European countries would aid in Taiwan's defense, but anticipates that the US would attempt to defend against an attack. Therefore, prior to an invasion of Taiwan, "we must take into account the above factors and use diplomatic leverage to minimize international resistance."
And the Chinese Communist Party seems pleased with the weakness of international protests against its crackdown on Falun Gong. "Negative international reaction has proven to be limited, and the protest from the US was particularly pale and powerless, fully demonstrating that our party has the ability and courage to gain advantage in complicated domestic and international struggles," says the document.
Senior Communist Chinese military officials, the document adds, disclosed "some information on strategic weaponry so that the US will exercise some caution in decision-making and be aware that it would have to pay a price if it decided to intervene in a military conflict. The purpose is to prevent the US from being deeply involved even if a war becomes unavoidable so that the losses on both sides of the Taiwan Straits will be minimized throughout the war."
The magazine reported that Beijing is convinced that even in its much weaker military state, it can prevail in a war against the United States. "Taking into account possible intervention by the US and based on the development strategy of our country, it is better to fight now than (in the) future -- the earlier, the better," says the Beijing document.
"The reason being that, if worse comes to worst, we will gain control of Taiwan before the full deployment of US troops. In this case, the only thing the US can do is fight a war with the purpose of retaliating....If the above scenario cannot be avoided, an early war will delay the success of our reforms, whereas a later war will jeopardize the full achievement of the reforms."
The document continues that "our principle is willing to sustain major losses to our armed forces to defend even just a square inch of land. If the US forces lose men under our powerful strikes, the anti-war sentiment within their country will force the US government to take the same path as they did in Vietnam." (By Nelson Chung)
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