Taiwan’s armed forces are at the center of a modernization program to build a more effective deterrent against China.
Taiwan has started mass production of long-range missiles and is developing three more models, a senior official said in acknowledging a lack of efforts to improve strike capacity amid growing Chinese pressure.
Raising questions from lawmakers in Parliament, Taiwan’s Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said Thursday that developing long-range offensive capability was a priority.
China, which claims to be a democratic Taiwan as its own, has launched armed action near the island, trying to force the government in Taipei to accept the claims of Beijing’s sovereignty.
Taiwan’s armed forces, polluted by China, are at the center of a modernization program to offer a more effective deterrent, including the ability to strike back at bases deep inside China in the event of a conflict.
“We hope it is long-range, accurate and mobile,” Chiu told the Parliament, adding that such weapons had not been investigated by the Chung-Shan National Institute of Science and Technology. the “never stopped” state.
Standing next to Chiu, the institute’s deputy director Leng Chin-hsu said one long land-based missile had gone into production, with three more long-range missiles being developed.
Leng said it was not “convenient” for him to give details of how far the missiles could fly.
In recent months the institute, which has led military development efforts in Taiwan, has conducted a series of missile tests off the southeast coast.
Media in Taiwan has launched images of missiles and planes have been instructed to stay clear of the test area, but otherwise the tests are reduced in secrecy.
Taiwan’s armed forces have traditionally focused on defending the island from Chinese aggression.
But President Tsai Ing-wen has emphasized the development of a “non-regulatory” blockchain, using mobile equipment that is difficult to detect and destroy, and capable of targeting targets. hit far from the coast of Taiwan.
Washington, Taipei’s main foreign arms supplier, has been keen to create an arms balance for Chinese forces, building on an effort known inside the Pentagon as the “Taiwan Fortress”.