China has had ICBMs targeting the US mainland since the early '80's, at least. Not with any degree of accuracy, but accuracy is not required in a force conceived purely as a deterrent.
The Cox report, which can hardly be said to contain pro-China bias, states clearly that the existing generation of Chinese missiles targeting US cities is based on '50's vintage technology. The stolen secrets are being used to develop lighter mobile missiles capable of surviving a first strike.
It would appear that China is placing a priority on developing a second-strike capacity, meaning missiles capable of maintaining a credible deterrent even after a first strike. They presumably consider such a capacity vital to their national security, for fairly obvious reasons. Unlike us, they are not trying to develop a first-strike capacity or a missile-defense system.
The nuclear weapons based in the former Soviet Union are, given the extreme political instability there, a far greater threat to the US than those based in China.
I am not a Clinton defender; neither; I know very well, is X. I think we agree, though, that blaming all the problems of the nation on Clinton is stupid and myopic. It gives rise to the notion that all we have to do to get rid of the problems is get rid of Clinton, which is unfortunately not the case. |
