The Chinese military is preparing a dress-rehearsal, war-games assault on Taiwan for the later this month – the first time Beijing has ever gone this far in preparations for a threatened invasion.
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The 18,000-man landing on the beaches of Dongshan Island is to involve amphibious assault craft, Russian-built fighter jets and submarines operating in the Taiwan Strait to ward off a simulated counter-attack by the U.S. Seventh Fleet, according to press reports in China.
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Dongshan Island is 240 kilometers from the southern tip of Taiwan and has the same geography and local dialect. The island is inhabited by a million people, compared with 22 million on Taiwan, which has a significantly larger land mass.
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The mock invasion will be the first exercise aimed at "taking control of the Taiwan Strait," according to a Shanghai news account.
"Sukhoi SU27 fighter jets will be outfitted with guided air-to-surface missiles to ensure tank brigades can make a landing and engage in warfare," the New Express Daily reported.
The mock military exercise comes at a time of high tension across the Taiwan Strait, following the re-election of Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian, who has been sharply criticized by Beijing for his pro-independence positions.
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