Japanese Media: China to buy S400 to deter Taiwan, Japan and India

Japan’s “diplomatic scholar” magazine website on April 11 quoted a Russian commercial television reported that Putin has approved the sale to China of two to four sets of S-400 air defense missile system.Japan’s “diplomatic scholar” magazine website on April 11 quoted a Russian commercial television reported that Putin has approved the sale to China of two to four sets of S-400 air defense missile system. The deal is already in negotiations among, if approved, would allow China to become the first foreign customers this advanced defense systems. At present, China has deployed many Soviet-era S-300 defense system.

Reported that although Russia had been negotiating in this regard, but some observers believe that Russia will eventually refuse to China for a number of reasons to sell S-400 missile systems. First, there are reports that in the country before the Russian military needs are met, does not intend to foreign sales of S-400, Russia may take several years to completely equip its armed forces with the S400. More importantly, the Russian military are worried that China would buy a few S-400 system, and then steal their technology through reverse engineering into the domestic version. In the past, Russia has sold weapons systems to China which have been reverse engineered.

It is reported that Russia and China have been seeking more stringent intellectual property protection signed agreement to resolve this problem. In 2008 the two sides signed an agreement to protect intellectual property, but Russian officials later considered inadequate bound to give up this version. It is said that in 2012 Russia and China signed a more stringent intellectual property protection agreement, but the specific content of the agreement is not disclosed.According to the 'Jane’s Defense Weekly', Russia and China hopes to sign more stringent intellectual property agreements and increase sales volume to prevent reverse engineering. If China promised to purchased a large number of S-400 systems, the loss suffered by the Russian military industry will be far less if the Chinese were to reverse-engineer the system operation.

The S-400 system itself may be greatly improved in China to some unexpected developments of military strength. Range of the missile system is 400 km and experts believe that this would give China an advantage in air superiority over the Taiwan straight. Once the S-400 ground-based system is inducted and combined with PLA fighters,China will increase its rhetoric against Taiwan with more confidence. It will also act as a deterrent to U.S. intervention.

China's deployment of the S-400 is not only to deter Taiwan but also Japan over the disputed islands and India too over its unresolved boundary dispute. Japan should respond effectively to China’s S-400, because the system will overwrite Japan's claims over the Diaoyu Islands.

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