Taiwan announced Thursday that it has begun mass production of a long-range missile and the development of three more prototypes, in a rare admission of efforts to develop offensive capability amid mounting Chinese pressure.
China, which says Taiwan is part of its territory, has intensified its military activity near the island, as it tries to force the government in Taipei to accept Beijing’s claims of sovereignty.
Responding to questions from lawmakers in Parliament, Taiwan’s Defense Minister Qiu Kuucheng said that developing a long-range attack capability is a priority for Taiwan, adding that research by the state-owned “Zhongshan Institute of Science and Technology” “has never stopped.”
Standing next to the defense minister, Ling Chen Hsu, deputy director of the institute, said that a long-range surface-to-surface missile has already entered production, with three more long-range missiles under development.
Ling said it was “not appropriate for him” to provide details about how far the missile could reach.
The institute, which leads the development of weapons in Taiwan, has conducted a series of missile tests off the southeast coast in recent months.
Taiwan media published pictures of missile launches and aircraft were instructed to move away from the test area, but the tests were classified.
Taiwan’s armed forces have traditionally focused on defending the island from Chinese attack, but President Tsai Ing-wen stressed the importance of developing an “asymmetric” deterrent, using mobile equipment that is difficult to find and destroy, and capable of hitting targets far from Taiwan’s coast.
Washington, the main foreign arms supplier to Taipei, has long been keen to create a military counterweight to Chinese forces, building on an effort known within the Pentagon as “Fort Taiwan.”
Source: Reuters
