"That Time the U.S. Military Humiliated China Near Taiwan" Topic

"Here's What You Need to Remember: According to Globalsecurity.org, redeployments of Chinese long-range missile forces continued into 1996, and the Chinese military actually prepared for military action. China drew up contingency plans for thirty days of missile strikes against Taiwan, one strike a day, shortly after the March 1996 presidential elections. These strikes were not carried out, but preparations were likely detected by U.S. intelligence.

More than twenty years ago, a military confrontation in East Asia pushed the United States and China uncomfortably close to conflict. Largely unknown in America, the event made a lasting impression on China, especially Chinese military planners. The Third Taiwan Crisis, as historians call it, was China's introduction to the power and flexibility of the aircraft carrier, something it obsesses about to this day…"

Main page
link

Armand

The Chinese military of 1996 was a force stuck in 1958. It had no chance against an modern opponent.

Apparently a single EA-6B Prowler shut down most of the Chinese early 1960s air defence system in the region.

The Sino-Soviet split and Cultural Revolution had massively damaged Chinese military development.

They tried restarting military development in 1980s with Western help including from such companies as Northrop, Grumman, Sikorsky, Aerospatiale, Alenia, IAI and Elbit but Tiananmen Square massacres stopped most of this except Israeli help.

So it's 1996 and the Chinese are still stuck with their 1950s tech.

Things are a bit different now with Chinese being up to 1990s tech in many fields and much of the US still being stuck at that level (eg most F-15/-16/-18) and certain elements of US especially navy having lost some capabilities and certainly numbers.

Good evaluation ardo …

Thanks

Armand