David Shlapak, an analyst at the Rand Corp. think tank, said that the chances China could deliver a "knock-out blow" to Taiwan's air force at the start of a conflict have "increased substantially in recent years."
"China is assembling a military capable of providing the leadership in Beijing with credible options for the use of force against Taiwan, even in the face of US opposition," Shlapak told the panel.
China strongly opposes US arms sales to Taiwan, arguing that they run counter to the US recognition in 1979 of Beijing as China's sole government.
China continues to oppose our arms sales, arguing that our recognition of Peking as the seat of China's sole government means we have to let Taiwan be absorbed into China.
I've never gotten why anyone buys that line of reasoning. Just because we recognize the Peking government as the legitimate seat of government for China, why does that imply that we endorse whatever borders that China claims is part of China? Does this mean that we must accept Chinese claims on land in the South China Sea, India, Russia, and the Korean peninsula, as well as Taiwan?
Please. We have no obligation to accept every land claim of Peking's rulers even though we recognize them as the legitimate government of China.
