China: July 14, 2005

Archives

  For the second time, since 1999, that a Chinese general has said, openly, that China would use nuclear weapons against the United States if China found itself fighting American forces in some future war. The most likely source of conflict would be American intervention during a Chinese attempt to invade Taiwan. The major general who made the comment was an instructor at China's senior defense institution (National Defence University). This is the kind of place where China's brightest military minds develop strategies for future wars. The decision to use  nukes is an admission that China believes its conventional forces would not be able to deal with intervention by American air force and navy units. The only catch with this threat is that, at the moment, China doesn't really have any reliable way to deliver a nuclear weapon to the United States. So the threat bespeaks desperation as much as an admission of military inferiority. As happened in 1999, the government later downplayed, but did not deny, the nuclear weapons comment.

 

 

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   Contribute   Close