Posted 4:35 PM by Blah blah

China Could Hit Taiwan Rapidly, Pentagon Says (Reuters):
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China is honing "credible options" to attack Taiwan and could move with scant warning against what it views as a U.S.-backed rogue province, the Pentagon said on Friday....

"China's doctrine is moving toward the goal of surprise, deception and shock effect in the opening phase of a campaign," said the Pentagon report. "China is exploring coercive strategies designed to bring Taipei to terms quickly."

Such options include possible air and missile campaigns or a naval blockade.

"With little warning, Beijing may choose to seize quickly a limited number of key facilities on Taiwan using amphibious or airborne forces as means to compel political capitulation," the Pentagon said.

Thanks largely to Russian arms supplies, Beijing was gaining "an increasing number of credible options to intimidate or actually attack Taiwan," it said.

China's growing clout also presented challenges to "other potential adversaries, such as the Philippines and Japan," the report said. China is at odds with the Philippines and others over boundaries in the South China Sea, and Beijing opposes any expansion of Japanese power in the region.