05-10-2008, 01:48 PM
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Political Mastermind
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,369
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How did a Floating casino become a Chinese Aircraft Carrier?
I was checking out the China Military and came across this:
Newsmax.com - Military Buildup Continues in China
Quote:
Finally, the former Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag was commissioned into the Chinese Navy as Shilang, hull No. 83. The name was selected because Shilang was the last Chinese Navy admiral to invade Taiwan.
However, the fact the Chinese have the Varyag is in part due to the Clinton administration.
In 1998 the engineless, weaponless Ukrainian aircraft carrier was sold at auction for $20 million. The winning bidder was a Macao-registered firm called Chong Lot. The purchasers pledged it would be used for peaceful purposes. The carrier was to be sent to Macao and would be used for a floating casino.
Turkish authorities, who denied the carrier passage through the Bosporus Strait because it was a warship, finally gave in when everyone, including the Clinton defense establishment, declared the Varyag to be a floating slot machine and not an aircraft carrier.
In the end, the carrier never made it to Macao but somehow ended up at the main Chinese naval base in Dalian. Today, it is an official Chinese Navy warship.
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"Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the Democrats believe every day is April 15." - Ronald Reagan
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