US provokes Sino-Israeli Arms Deal

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19 years 5 months

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This is one link from Sino Defence. What are your thoughts about this?

http://www.sinodefence.com/news/2004/news041225.asp

25 December 2004) The Pentagon’s undersecretary of defence for policy Doug Feith accused top Israeli defence ministry official on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) deal between Israel and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and claimed that this has caused a confidence crisis between the Pentagon and the Israeli Mod.

The Harpy is an advanced attack UAV system
Israel’s Channel Two television reported on 15 December that Feith had demanded the resignation of retired Maj. Gen. Amos Yaron, the widely respected and longtime director-general of Israel’s MoD. According to the reports, Feith was ‘outraged’ that he was not informed the UAV sale to China few years ago, and demanded the resignation of retired Maj. Gen. Amos Yaron, the widely respected and long-time director-general of Israel’s MoD.

This is also the first time that the existence of such a deal between China and Israel is confirmed. China reportedly acquired some unknown number of the Israeli Aerospace Industry (IAI)’s Harpy Attack UAV in 1994. In summer 2004 some of these UAVs were sent back to Israel to be upgraded for better performance. The Pentagon has already demanded that Israel not to deliver these UAVs to China, even though they are properties of the PRC.

Harpy is the armed UAV developed by IAI in the 1990s. It is a unique weapon system with features of both UAV and cruise missile. Launched from a ground vehicle or surface warship far away from the battle zone, the Harpy UAV can detect, attack and destroy radar emitters in all-weather conditions, day/night over a distance of 500kg. Once an enemy radar is detected and verified, the UAV transitions into a near vertical dive and destroy the target with its high explosive warhead.

As well as in service with the Israeli Defence Force, the Harpy UAV has also been exported to Turkey and India. The Western intelligence first identified Harpy UAVs in service with the PLA in the joint PLA exercise held near the Taiwan Strait in 2004. The Bush administration has pressured Israel to ‘roll back’ on its defence relations with China.

25 December 2004 :eek:

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24 years 2 months

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No US technology involved I think, so why should we care if Israel sells these things to China? Did we argue this much over the sale of the Python 3?

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"No US technology involved I think, so why should we care if Israel sells these things to China? Did we argue this much over the sale of the Python 3?"

Dynamics have profoundly changed.....

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24 years 2 months

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Dynamics have profoundly changed.....

Care to explain that one?

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19 years 4 months

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SOC:

". . . why should we care if Israel sells these things to China?"

Our friends in Taiwan would not be happy. Rumor has it that they are the ones who gave us the tip about this upgrade.

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24 years 2 months

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Of course they wouldn't be happy. but don't we have a "one-China" policy?

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19 years 4 months

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Yes. But the 'one china' policy should be read as 'one china at sometime in the distant future when the Taiwanese agree to return to Chinese control.' In other words, we try to chart a course between protecting Taiwan from Chinese domination and accommodating China's obsession with controlling Taiwan. Israel selling China advanced systems doesn't help us do that.

If the Taiwanese wanted to sell some kind of sophisticated weapon system to Egypt, and the Israelis objected, I figure we'd be telling the Taiwanese to the same thing as we're telling the Israelis now.

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U.S. general cancels trip to Israel in row
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper has canceled a trip to Israel because he would not meet Israeli Defense Ministry Director-General Amos Yaron.

Drone Tug-o-War Brings Chinese Dep. PM to Jerusalem, Involves Rumsfeld
Chinese deputy prime minister, Tang Jiaxuan, flew in to Israel secretly Saturday night, December 25. His mission is to recover an unspecified number of Israel-built Harpy unmanned aerial attack vehicles sent to Israel for overhaul or upgrade and were held back by Israel at Washington’s insistence.