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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: JDN who wrote (154149)	6/19/2001 9:19:16 AM
From: goldworldnet	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

Dragon's Dragonfly: The Chinese Aircraft Carrier idsa-india.org * * *

To: JDN who wrote (154149)	6/20/2001 3:23:19 PM
From: D. Long	Respond to of 769670

Actually, they did, if indirectly: freerepublic.com _________________________________________________________ ChiComs Study Their Four Purchased Russian Aircraft Carriers in Prelude to Building Their Own Foreign Affairs Front Page News Keywords: SINO-RUSSIAN, ALLIANCE, NAVY Source: The London Times Published: March 2, 2001 Author: Oliver August Posted on 03/02/2001 08:46:43 PST by rightwing2 London Times March 2, 2001 Beijing Sizes Up Russian Carrier By Oliver August in Shenzhen CHINA is studying the design of a secondhand Russian aircraft carrier in what experts believe is an attempt to build its own carriers. Aircraft carriers would give Beijing an edge in the struggle with Taiwan to dominate the Taiwan Strait. United States carrier power was the deciding factor in standing up to the Chinese when they showered missiles over Taiwan in 1996 in a so-called military exercise. The Chinese are also known to have plans for a navy to control the South China Sea. The Minsk, anchored in the coastal city of Shenzhen, near Hong Kong, was bought by a private Chinese company and has become a tourist attraction. But officers from the People’s Liberation Army have regularly inspected the Kiev-class carrier in recent months, despite assurances from the Chinese Government that it has no links with the buyer. A security guard aboard the Minsk said: "There are soldiers on the ship almost every day. Some of them are stationed here permanently." The carrier was originally sold to a South Korean company which sold it on to the Chinese. The Russian Navy removed all its weapons systems and some technology which it wanted to keep secret before selling it with the approval of the Russian Government. But according to analysts, the underdeveloped Chinese Navy can still learn a lot from the design of the Russian craft, which was once the pride of the Black Sea fleet and housed 1,700 men. The missile loading system below deck is in working condition, and is sometimes used to transport weapons. Internal wiring, pipes and tracks to convey aircraft through the below-deck hangars are visible. All signs of on-deck aircraft launch tracks or catapults seem to have been removed. On a ship this size, lifts are vital to move everything from parts and weapons to men and aircraft. On the Minsk, some of the old lifts are still in place. If the Chinese decide to build carriers, they are expected to use much of the Russian technology although the outward appearance of their carriers is likely to be different. As with China’s Russian-based space programme, Beijing will want to claim that the carriers are Chinese in design. Experts believe China is still many years away from completing its own carriers because of the complexity and cost of such a programme. But Beijing is seriously considering such a move to counter what it sees as US hegemony in Asia. Washington’s strong military role in Asia is dependent on its carrier force.Malcolm Davis, of the Joint Service Command and Staff College, said: "Aircraft carriers are definitely on the Chinese wish list for the future.They realise the importance of carriers. They are very keen on maritime power projection but at the moment they are not capable of area air defence." Russia and China have recently created an informal military alliance, mainly based on defence sales. Last year China accounted for 40 per cent of Russian arms sales. President Putin has encouraged sales to China as a way of injecting cash into the decaying Russian defence sector. Since acquiring the Minsk two years ago, China has bought two other Russian carriers. Mr Davis said: "The carriers that China has purchased are not much use in an operational sense. They cannot put to sea any more. But certainly what they can do is look at them very closely to give them ideas for the construction of their own carriers or possibly for a Sino-Russian co-operation project at some point in the future. When the Chinese bought the HMAS Melbourne from the Australians they went over it with a fine-tooth comb before dismantling it." Writing in Jane’s Defence Weekly in January, Mr Davis said: "There is substantial co-operation between Russia and China over the design and construction of aircraft carriers, and former Soviet Navy carriers have been transferred to China in the past. "In 1995 the Kiev-class Minsk and Novorossiysk were sold to South Korea and then in 1998 resold to Chinese companies. "The Minsk later appeared in the port of Shenzhen, and has been restored to original condition as a ‘tourist attraction’, complete with ‘replica’ aircraft, missile systems, and ‘working’ electronics. The Novorossiysk was sold directly to China for scrap in May 2000 allegedly to become another ‘tourist carrier’." He added: "Beijing has also developed contacts with Bazan of Spain and Fincantieri of Italy through discussions on construction of smaller carriers of 23,000 to 25,000 tonnes equipped with short take-off/vertical-landing aircraft. "A range of aircraft carrier options for the People’s Liberation Army Navy is therefore emerging."