- China recently test-fired a new cruise missile
with twice the range U.S. intelligence agencies initially estimated, intelligence
officials say. Top Stories
- The test comes as Chinese Communist officials last week
appointed a top general in charge of China's missile buildup to a new post
within the leadership that runs the military.
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- China fired a YJ-83 anti-ship cruise missile from a JH-7
fighter-bomber earlier this month over Bohai Bay, off northern China.
- The test results surprised U.S. intelligence
officials. Until recently, the estimated range of the YJ-83 had been assessed
to be about 75 miles. The new missile test showed that its range is about
155 miles.
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- The last time the missile was tested was July 4, when
the People's Daily, the official Communist Party newspaper, announced the
testing of a beyond-visual-range anti-ship missile. This weapon is believed
by Pentagon officials to be part of Beijing's efforts to develop a long-range
strike capability against U.S. aircraft carriers and ships.
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- Officials say the missile represents a new capability
for the Chinese military in conducting "over-the-horizon" attacks
on U.S. or allied ships in any conflict with China. The YJ-83 is believed
to be a derivative of the C-801 anti-ship cruise missile but can travel
at supersonic speeds, making it very difficult for ships to stop.
- Defense specialists say the YJ-83,
sometimes called the C-803, also has the capability to receive target information
in flight
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- Richard Fisher, a specialist on the Chinese military
with the Jamestown Foundation, said the new YJ-83 will probably be outfitted
on the upgraded JH-7a fighter-bomber.
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- "With a range of 250 km [155 miles], it gives the
PLA and its export clients a new anti-ship missile that can fire beyond
the reach of U.S. Naval anti-aircraft missiles like the Standard SM-2,
which will soon equip Taiwan's Kidd-class destroyers," Mr. Fisher
said.
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- "This test also indicates that longer-range land-attack
cruise missiles are just around the corner," he noted.
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- China announced major leadership changes last week that
elevated new leaders to many Communist Party posts. However, outgoing Chinese
President Jiang Zemin stayed on as chairman of the Party's Central Military
Commission, the powerful organ that controls the military.
- The commission was used by the late
Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in 1989 to bypass deadlocked government and
party structures in ordering Chinese military forces to attack unarmed
civilian protesters who had occupied Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
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- Hu Jintao, who was named the new Chinese party leader,
was reappointed last week as a vice chairman of the military commission.
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- Additionally, two generals were named commission vice
chairmen: Gen. Guo Boxiong and Gen. Cao Gangchuan. Both generals are proteges
of Mr. Jiang, who promoted them when he was party leader.
- Gen. Cao is expected to become China's
defense minister, replacing Gen. Chi Haotian, in the next several months.
His appointment is viewed by U.S. intelligence analysts as a sign that
China's major military buildup will increase under his leadership.
- Officials said Gen. Cao's promotion
within the commission is significant; as head of the General Armament Department
he was the official in charge of China's missile development and other
weapons-modernization programs.
- Gen. Guo was an aide to Gen. Fu Quanyou,
the chief of the Chinese general staff, who lost his post on the Central
Military Commission. Gen. Guo is expected to replace Gen. Zhang Wannian,
who ran the military commission until the recent leadership changes.
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