TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- In response to a suggestion by Taiwanese netizens that Taiwan's missiles could be used to destroy the Three Gorges Dam in response to an attack by China, a military expert says they would only cause tiny dents and described those who proposed the idea online as "military idiots would will continue to be mocked by China," reported Setn.

In response to a report by the Washington Free Beacon claiming that the author of "The Chinese Invasion Threat," Ian Easton, said in the new book that China has finalized a plan to invade Taiwan by 2020, netizens speculated cruise missiles such as the Hsiung Feng IIE or missiles from F-16 fighter jets could be trained on China's massive Three Gorges Dam to cause it to burst. If the Three Gorges Dam were to collapse, it would cause massive flooding, earthquakes, thousands to hundreds of thousands dead, and devastating destruction to infrastructure.

Though Easton later told Liberty Times that he never actually stated in the book China would invade Taiwan in 2020, many in Taiwan started to speculate on what actions the country's military could take in retaliation of such an imminent attack.

Member of the Ministry of Defense's senior advisory committee, Sung Chao-wen (宋兆文), on Facebook point out that the remarks about using such missiles to destroy the dam are ridiculous because the Three Gorges Dam is made from special high-strength reinforced concrete which can withstand an attack by a small nuclear weapon. Furthermore, if a missile or fighter jet tried to approach the dam, it would have to go through multiple layers of ground and air defenses, said Sung. Even if a missile were to make it through, it would only make a small dent, added Sung.

Sung said that the only effective weapon against the Three Gorges Dam would be heavy bunker buster bombs that can pierce through armor and travel deep inside the target before detonating. However, he said that Taiwan does not possess such bunker buster bombs.