MEDIA REACTION: CHINA'S ANTI-SATELLITE MISSILE TEST

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000164 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - LLOYD NEIGHBORS DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CHINA'S ANTI-SATELLITE MISSILE TEST Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused their coverage January 23 on the dispute between the Presidential Office and the Taipei District Court over the "state secrets files" in the Presidential Office Allowance for State Affairs case, and on the debt-ridden Rebar Asia Pacific Group. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an op-ed piece in the pro-status quo "China Times" commented on China's recent anti-satellite missile test. The article said China's move was aimed at expressing its displeasure with the United States' monopolization of space weapons development and to intensify its deterrence against U.S. and Japanese military intervention in cross-Strait conflicts. End summary. "What Is the Satellite Killer for?" Professor Philip Yang of National Taiwan University's Department of Political Science opined in the pro-status quo "China Times" [circulation: 400,000] (1/23): "... China's move to launch an anti-satellite missile was significant in two major strategic aspects: First, it was aimed at express [China's] displeasure with and its competitive attitude toward the United States' monopolization of the development of space weapons; second, it was meant to intensify its deterrence against U.S. and Japanese military interference in the conflict across the Taiwan Strait. ... Theoretically, U.S. spy satellites and the weather satellite that China has destroyed are of almost the same altitude, so there should be no difficulty for China to aim at U.S. spy and communication satellites. Besides, the move to shoot down a satellite can also produce an impact on the anti-missile defense system developed by the United States and Japan. In fact, there is no need for China to develop any large-scale space weapons; as long as it demonstrates that it has the ability and willingness to destroy satellites effectively, the United States will surely have scruples about China's attitude and actions. "When it comes to deterring U.S. and Japanese intervention in cross-Strait conflicts, China is clearly aware that future U.S.-China military conflicts will most likely be set off by cross-Strait issues. ... In the event of possible military intervention by the United States and Japan in conflicts across the Taiwan Strait, the Beijing authorities have long since started to demonstrate their military deterrence capability and status, including the deployment of mid-range missiles to deter U.S. carrier battle groups from coming to Taiwan's aid. China's recent move to launch an anti-satellite missile was, in military terms, a way of so-called 'channel blocking' - namely, an attempt to daunt U.S. military assistance [to Taiwan]. ... "But the move to destroy a satellite with a missile will clearly produce a negative impact. China will surely have to pay the serious political consequences. First, the image of peaceful development that China has endeavored to create over the past few years will be severely challenged, and the theory of the 'China threat' will prevail again, mainly because China's reluctance to make its military development 'transparent' has made people suspicious of its motives. Second, the United States will speed up [developing] anti-satellite killer facilities, which will likely result in a space weapons race among big countries, and the arms race in East Asia may well become the center of U.S. and Japanese military strategies. Conservatives in the United States and Japan, on the other hand, were greatly encouraged [by such a development], which will create a new paradise for international arms and industrial manufacturers. But it is unable to create a haven for security across the Taiwan Strait and peace in East Asia." YOUNG