1.   And what most outrages the Chinese is the speculation that such a shield might be extended to Taiwan, which is considered a renegade province.

2.   For now, the strategic response for a country like China would be to work toward building so many intercontinental ballistic missiles that it could overwhelm such a shield.

3.   Such a shield will not prevent ice dams.

4.   The administration has held to its position even though such a shield would have done nothing to prevent the two attacks.

5.   While the Pentagon has not yet committed to deploying such a shield, it has hastened development because of pressure from Congress.

6.   Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, pressed in Parliament on Wednesday to elaborate on his position, stopped short of saying that such a shield should be built.

7.   But Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said Moscow had no intention of budging from its vehement opposition to such a shield.

8.   Greenpeace contends that such a shield would only heighten the arms race.

9.   Canberra has backed plans by US President George W. Bush to press ahead with the development of such a shield.