Medium-range missile being developed by Taiwan: Report<\/p>\n
TAIPEI (Agencies): Taiwan is secretly researching and
\ndeveloping a medium-range ballistic missile in the face of a
\nperceived threat from China, military sources said in a newspaper
\non Monday.<\/p>\n
Military authorities hope to develop a surface-to-surface
\nmissile with a range of up to 2,000 kilometers, the unidentified
\nsources told The United Daily News.<\/p>\n
But the defense ministry denied the claim. \"The report was not
\ncorrect. The military has not embarked on related RetD (research
\nand development) programs,\" it said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The paper said the development of such a missile would not be
\ndifficult for the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology,
\nthe island's cradle of indigenous weaponry including jet
\nfighters, air defense missiles and radar systems.<\/p>\n
It said the planned missile, inspired by the 1996 missile
\ncrisis, was intended to put China on the defensive and force it
\nto divert a big chunk of military budget to defense programs.<\/p>\n
Taiwan's defense ministry has said China's Peoples Liberation
\nArmy (PLA) has some 300 ballistic missiles trained on the island.<\/p>\n
Taiwan leaders have warned of an ever-growing battery of
\nmissiles on the Chinese coast where up to 500 missiles have been
\ndeployed within easy range of Taiwan's main political, economic
\nand military facilities.<\/p>\n
Taiwan plans to build a missile shield estimated to cost tens
\nof billions of U.S. dollars, which the paper said dwarfs the
\namount of money pumped into the ballistic missiles the PLA has
\ndeployed along the southeastern part of the mainland.<\/p>\n
China views Taiwan as a breakaway province and has vowed to
\nattack if the island declares independence or drags its feet
\nindefinitely on unification talks.<\/p>\n
The paper said the missile development program had been given
\npriority after it was briefed to President Chen Shui-bian last
\nyear.<\/p>\n
Taiwan's Vice Defense Minister Chen Pi-chao said last month
\nthe island would go ahead with its weapons development plans
\ndespite its massive purchase of arms from the U.S..<\/p>\n
In April the new Bush administration approved the single
\nbiggest arms package to Taiwan in nearly a decade. It included
\neight diesel-powered submarines, 12 P-3C \"sub-hunting\" patrol
\naircraft and four Kidd class destroyers.<\/p>\n
Beijing has strongly opposed the arms sale to the island which
\nit regards as an inalienable part of China.<\/p>\n
Over Beijing's objection, Washington agreed in 1993 to sell
\nTaiwan the Patriot Advanced Capability, or PAC-2, anti-missile
\nsystem. Taiwan has said it would test-fire its Patriot missiles
\nthis month but has given no details.<\/p>\n
PAC-2 is deployed only in northern Taiwan to protect the
\nTaipei area, the island's political and economic center.<\/p>\n
Under Washington's pressure, Taiwan was forced to terminate
\nits plan to develop surface-to-surface \"Tien Ma\" (Sky Horse)
\nmissile in the 1980s. The missile was designed with a range of
\n1,000 kilometers.<\/p>",
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