Gansu: Chinese army drills destroy Taiwan imitation
A Canada-based military news website got hold of high-resolution satellite photos that prove the existence of exact copies of the island on Chinese soil. But a Shanghai expert claimed this did not prove anything.
Beijing (AsiaNews/SCMP) China's People's Liberation Army has built two facilities in the eastern province of Gansu that simulate a military air force base in Taiwan. The facilities are used for drills, a Canada-based military news website has reported.
The site the Kanwa Defence Review said high-resolution satellite photographs clearly showed the two facilities, set up near Dingxin airport in Jiayuguan . They are modelled to perfection on the Ching Chuan Kang Air Base in Taiwan. The site said: "It is a clear sign that the Chinese army has stepped up its preparation for military struggles against Taiwan."
The photos also showed ruins made by simulated attacks against the facilities: the weapons appeared to be long-range TV-guided missiles similar to ones used by the Russian Red Army. "The photos show many other similar structures had already been constructed in the same place and then destroyed."
But Liu Tong, a military expert at Shanghai Jiaotong University, said the photos "could not prove Taiwan was the target of the simulation strikes". He said: "Liberating Taiwan is the task for Nanjing Military Area Command, it is not a matter for Gansu Area Command," he said.
"Anyhow, it is not unusual for our army to build simulation air bases but this does not mean anything."
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