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PLA showcases missiles in New Year’s Eve ‘warning for Taiwan’
- CCTV series shows 10 types of short and intermediate-range missiles designed for a possible war with the self-ruled island
- Conspicuously absent from the PLA Rocket Force series were intercontinental ballistic missiles, a sign Beijing is not provoking Washington
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The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force put the spotlight on several missiles targeting “Taiwan independence-leaning forces” to mark the fifth anniversary of its founding, a warning to the self-ruled island, military experts said.
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In a five-episode documentary broadcast by state broadcaster China Central Television on New Year’s Eve, the PLA Rocket Force showcased more than 10 types of active short and intermediate-range missiles specifically designed for a possible war against Taiwan.
One of the highlights was the demonstration of the CJ-10, or Long Sword 10, a potent precision-strike weapon based on the DF-10 cruise missile, penetrating the windows of an office building, which military experts described as “decapitation experiments” intended to caution Taipei.
Beijing regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that must eventually be reunited with the mainland – by force if necessary – and this has been a key goal for the PLA in their military exercises for decades.
“The footage was recorded in 2007 … the demonstration of the CJ-10 missile was aimed at targeting Taiwan’s key independent advocate Chen Shui-bian,” a military source, who requested anonymity, told the South China Morning Post, referring to a former Taiwanese president.
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